Climatology
This page presents United Arab Emirates's climate context for the current climatology, 1991-2020, derived from observed, historical data. Information should be used to build a strong understanding of current climate conditions in order to appreciate future climate scenarios and projected change. You can visualize data for the current climatology through spatial variation, the seasonal cycle, or as a time series. Analysis is available for both annual and seasonal data. Data presentation defaults to national-scale aggregation, however sub-national data aggregations can be accessed by clicking within a country, on a sub-national unit. Other historical climatologies can be selected from the Time Period dropdown list.
Observed, historical data is produced by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of University of East Anglia. Data is presented at a 0.5º x 0.5º (50km x 50km) resolution.
The UAE has an arid desert climate with only two main seasons, winter and summer separated by two transitional periods, respectively. The winter season (December to March) has a mean temperature ranging from 16.4°C to 24°C. The first transitional period (April to May) is distinguished by variability and rapid change in weather.
Temperatures start to increase gradually over most regions during this period. The mean temperature during this season ranges from 26°C to 33.5°C. The summer season (June to September) is characterized by extremely high temperature which can be expected to climb up to 50°C, especially over the southern parts. Mean temperature during this season ranges from 32°C to 37.2°C. Summer rainfalls tend to be lower, particularly along the coastal areas, away from the mountains. The second transitional period (October to November) has a mean temperature ranging from 24°C to 30°C. Rainfall is sparse and inconsistent in the UAE. The country averages between 140 – 200 mm of rainfall per year, with some mountainous areas experiencing up to 350 mm/year. The UAE is also prone to occasional, violent dust storms, locally known as shamal winds.