United Arab Emirates Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, and Ajman
Summary
The United Arab Emirates experienced another sweltering period as summer heat intensified across the Gulf, delivering one of the hottest Julys on record. Inland desert areas bore the brunt of the aridity, with maximum temperatures approaching 50°C alongside high coastal humidity. These conditions sat within a wider pattern of elevated global warmth, with intense conditions expected to persist through late summer.
This month in numbers
The average temperature in July reached 36.67°C, which is 1.8°C above the 1961–1990 baseline and ranks as the 10th warmest on record in data back to 1940. Across the three-month May–July period, the average temperature stood at 34.91°C, placing it as the 13th warmest such spell on record at 1.8°C above average. Globally, land temperatures in July averaged 15.8°C, marking the 3rd warmest on record. The May–July global average reached 14.34°C, ranking as the 2nd warmest on record.
What changed
The recent warmth reflects a long-term warming trend in the Emirates, which has seen average annual temperatures rise by 1.95°C above pre-industrial baselines. Within the Asia regional group, tracked at Asia, the country's July anomaly was 0.20°C above the continental average, placing it among the region's elevated warm anomalies. This continues a sustained pattern, following 2025 as the 9th warmest year in 86 years of records with an average temperature of 28.82°C.
What’s driving change?
The extreme summer conditions across the Arabian Peninsula are heavily amplified by , as parched desert soils cannot cool through evaporation and convert solar energy directly into sensible heat. A regional heat dome high-pressure system trapped scorching air masses over the Gulf, pushing daytime inland temperatures close to 50°C. Urban areas also experienced elevated nighttime temperatures due to the effect, where infrastructure retains daytime heat into the humid evening hours.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts indicate that above-average temperatures and high atmospheric humidity are likely to persist across the region in the coming months before gradually easing into autumn.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – United Arab Emirates
Köppen BWh · AridUnited Arab Emirates has a arid climate (Köppen BWh: Hot desert), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 36.8°C, while January is the coldest at 19.1°C. Annual precipitation averages around 84mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly precipitation.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – United Arab Emirates
Precipitation, Sunshine, Frost and Snow are converted to standard deviations from their own average so they can share an axis with Temperature.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – United Arab Emirates
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – United Arab Emirates
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – United Arab Emirates
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – United Arab Emirates
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen BWh · AridUnited Arab Emirates has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±8.9°C) and a wet/dry cycle (21× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Dec (-8 mm, -54%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for United Arab Emirates
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in United Arab Emirates changing?
United Arab Emirates is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
What is the climate like in United Arab Emirates?
United Arab Emirates has a arid climate (Köppen BWh: Hot desert), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 36.8°C, while January is the coldest at 19.1°C. Annual precipitation averages around 84mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for United Arab Emirates come from?
Climate data for United Arab Emirates comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the United Arab Emirates climate data cover?
The United Arab Emirates climate profile covers Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for United Arab Emirates
How often is the United Arab Emirates climate update refreshed?
The United Arab Emirates climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the United Arab Emirates climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the United Arab Emirates climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.