Dubai-climate

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Dubai is a coastal city lying between 22 and 26 degrees north, the United Arab Emirates lies within a sub-region of the northern desert belt, characterized by scanty and erratic rainfall, and high levels for temperature, humidity, and sunshine. Winter sunshine averages eight hours per day, while the summer figure reaches as high as eleven hours a day. Despite this apparently stable climatic picture, the weather does show a remarkable degree of local variability, throwing up thunder storms, fog, gale force winds, sand storms and, of course, rain.

The UAE is the first country in the Middle East to introduce the Satellite Delivered Information System technology (SADIS), a weather forecasting technology which covers the globe, with the exception of Polar Zones. According to the National Meteorological Authority (NMA), which is affiliated to the Ministry of Communications, the system supplies data on temperature, humidity, volcanoes and wind directions. It also enables the UAE to receive the latest forecasts for centers all over the world through direct contact with the world center in London.

The weather chart during much of the year shows a ridge of high pressure extending southwards into central Saudi Arabia with lower pressure over the eastern Gulf. Prevailing light to moderate north-westerly winds, known by their Arabic name shamal, meaning 'north', are associated with mid-latitude disturbances. Along the western coastal plain, sea breezes tend to dominate with light south-south-easterlies at night being replaced by moderate north-westerlies during daytime. This pattern changes on the east coast where the proximity of the mountains results in gusty and less predictable wind shifts. A good strong blast of northerly shamal is usually preceded in the UAE by strong southerly winds, raising desert sands and reducing visibility. The shift to northerly winds may be quite sudden and can be accompanied by rain, thunder s...