Dubai: How often do you look at disbelief at the official temperature and say, “It’s definitely hotter than that!”
Well, you’re not the only one as often the information system on your car can also tell you it is over 50C, while officially, the temperature might just be 49C.
The National Centre of Meteorology spoke to Gulf News to clarify why UAE residents might be experiencing fluctuations in temperature over the past few days.
A spokesperson for the NCM said: “There is nothing unusual about the weather in the past few days, the temperature is fluctuating but only by one or two degrees.”
However, the spokesperson added that the “feeling temperature” might be a lot more or less, depending on various conditions - the biggest one being humidity.
“Depending on the air mist – whether the wind is coming from the sea and dragging moisture on to the land – the level of humidity can vary. This makes the feeling temperature higher,” the spokesperson told Gulf News.
He also added that temperatures on a car’s information system can show a higher reading because of various factors.
“Recording the exact temperature requires special criteria. For example, the temperature has to be recorded away from any metal objects or the street because this will artificially increase the temperature. In the car, the body is made of metal, which will definitely affect the temperature. Also if you ever happen to be parked on grass, the car will record a cooler temperature because grass does not absorb heat like asphalt does. So, you might see a particular temperature when you are in the car, but the accurate temperature should be checked with the meteorological stations, as they meet all the criteria required to record the exact temperature.”
Regardless of the difference in the official and ‘feels like’ temperature, tomorrow is expected to be slightly cooler.
“Tomorrow we are expecting a slight drop in temperature because of stronger winds, which can reach 40km/h. The higher wind speeds can make it cooler and the feeling temperature can be a bit lower,” the spokesperson added.
