The UAE has seen its greatest summertime temperature so far.
The National Centre of Meteorology said in a post on X that a temperature of 49.9 °C was recorded in Mezaira (Al Dhafra region) at 3:15 p.m. on Friday.
The meteorological department had forecasted a 49ºC maximum temperature and a 90% humidity index for the day in interior areas.
The UAE saw its summer solstice, the longest day of the year, from June 21 to June 22, lasting 13 hours and 48 minutes. As a result, the summer has officially begun here, according to Astronomy and Space Sciences.
The whole country enters what is known as "astronomical summer" around the third week of June. The summer solstice, on which one of Earth's poles is most inclined toward the sun, marks the beginning of the season. In the UAE, it is the longest day.
