UAE temperatures to drop by up to 8°C
Emiratis and visitors alike may wish to keep their winter woolly sweaters out as the second half of January promises a sudden drop in temperature, for which most won't have to wait too long.
Temperatures throughout the country can drop to as low as seven to eight degrees, and its effects will be felt over a mere two days, making it one of the most severe cold spells during this winter season, says the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM).
Dr Ahmed Habib, meteorologist at the NCM, said on Monday that the change will start mid of the week as cold air will flow down into country from northern parts.
There will be a “north-westerly air mass that will affect the UAE starting January 15, bringing colder air from the north,” Asyan said. Temperatures as a result will start to fall over time, “starting in western parts of the country” before moving east.
The cooling will be most pronounced in the west before spreading farther afield. We can expect a drop in temperatures of 3 to 4 degrees Celsius on January,” said weather forecaster, Zeina Hobeika. “During this 48-hour period on January 15 and 16, the minimum temperatures in most parts of the country could decrease by up to 7°C to 8°C,” Habib said.
And if you live near the mountains, or have travel to them planned, it will be even colder. Morning and night temperatures in the area are forecast to drop into single digits (10°C) with ‘early-morning lows of 5°C-7°C.’
Coastal areas will stay a bit warmer, though still cooler than usual. “Daytime temperatures on the coast will come in at approximately 20°C-22°C, whilst inland areas could experience slightly warmer days of between 22°C–24°C.Cooling trendsCoastal regions won't cool off as much as inland areas to drop to around or just under 20°.
“Desert interiors including parts of Ajman and the internal are likely to see temperatures drop below 10°C, a dip that isn't expected at coastal areas.”
Compounding the cold, gusts are predicted to strengthen throughout the coldest days. Habib added that on January 15 and 16, aside from the north-westerly direction, “fresh to strong winds are expected at times to add to wind chill effect” which makes things feel cooler than what the thermometer indicates.
Why inland areas feel colder than coast
Describing why coastal areas typically cool less drastically than inland and desert settings, Habib said it boiled down to the thermal properties of seawater — in particular that it’s slow to take up or release heat.
“Sea water warms slowly during the day and cools slowly at night. This banked heat acts as a buffer preventing rapid cooling of the air over coastal waters. Desert and inland areas, however, tend to cool quickly after sunset as sand or dry land quickly loses heat. The interior and deserts are what makes the difference when it comes to these sharper nighttime drops in temperature over coastal areas.”
Fog, clouds and rain outlook
As temperatures drop, folks may also experience differences in the way they see things in those early hours. Habib also said that there could be fog in the early hours of Tuesday, especially inland, “but morning fog may continue over the coming days.”
The coverage of clouds is forecast to increase as well. Fair to partly cloudy at times with low clouds over the islands and parts of coastal areas.
“Because of that moderate to fresh northerly wind will kick up dust and sand in some places,” he said.“We may also see a few drops of rain or maybe more across the northern parts.”On January 15 we can expect cloudy conditions, especially during the morning and daytime periods over northern and eastward areas. There is also a possibility of some light rain in the region, more likely to affect Ras Al Khaimah and northern Fujairah. “Some cities will see clouds in the sky during the day.
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