United Arab Emirates
16 cities
Climate overview
The United Arab Emirates lies between 22°N and 26°N on the Arabian Peninsula, with a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) along the Persian Gulf coast extending inland across vast sand seas. The Hajar Mountains in the east, rising to about 1,900 m on the UAE side, moderate temperatures in the eastern emirates and provide the country's only significant relief.
Summer highs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai average above 40°C, with coastal maxima reaching 48°C or higher in July and August, while winters stay mild: January minima around 14°C and daytime highs near 24°C. Annual rainfall is under 120 mm along the coast (about 50 mm at Abu Dhabi and 95 mm at Dubai) and can reach about 350 mm in parts of the Hajar, falling mostly in winter.
Coastal humidity climbs in late summer, while the northwesterly shamal sweeps the country with dust. The shallow Persian Gulf, with surface temperatures above 30°C in summer, amplifies heat stress along the coast.
Our archive covers 16 Emirati cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The hottest July afternoons are in Musaffah, with average highs around 42.3°C, while Al Ain City has the coldest January nights, with average lows near 12.4°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 2°C.
How the climate has shifted in the United Arab Emirates
Average across 16 cities with full ERA5 coverage: 1940–1970 baseline vs the last decade (2016–2025).
- Annual mean temperature
- 27.1°C→29.1°C
- Days above 30°C per year
- 228 days→245 days+16
- Frost days per year
- 0 days→0 days+0
- Tropical nights (≥20°C) per year
- 216 nights→264 nights+49
Warmest year in the record so far: 2021.
What's unusual right now
From a snapshot of the world's largest cities updated each hour. Today's mean temperature compared with each city's long-term average for the same calendar date (ERA5 climatology, 1940 onward). Last 30 days uses each city's rolling daily-mean vs its monthly average. Not a global ranking.