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We’ve long folded our sweaters and chucked them in deep corners of our wardrobes and brought out our linen shirts. There’s no denying that mercury and humidity levels are on the rise across the UAE and it begs the question – when does summer *actually* begin?
Well, astronomers and meteorologists say that depends on the summer solstice – an annual astronomical phenomenon that officially marks the beginning of the season in the Northern Hemisphere. GRAZIA spoke to an expert from the Dubai Astronomy Group who shared when it will occur in the UAE.
WHAT IS SUMMER SOLSTICE?
“Summer solstice is when the Earth’s tilt is most inclined towards the sun, giving us the longest day of the year in terms of daylight. It signals the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and typically happens around June 21,” Khadijah Ahmad, Operations Manager and astronomer at Dubai Astronomy Group said.
WHEN DOES SUMMER BEGIN IN THE UAE?
“The June solstice (summer solstice) in Dubai is at 12.50am on Friday, 21 June 2024,” she said.
In terms of daylight, this day is 3 hours, and 9 minutes longer than the December solstice, which marks the beginning of winter. “In most locations north of the equator, the longest day of the year is around this date,” she added.
The summer solstice marks the official beginning of the season in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, giving us the most daylight hours of the year.
IS SUMMER SOLSTICE THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR?
Even though the summer solstice has the longest daylight, it’s not usually the hottest day, we can say with a sigh of relief. “The Earth’s land and oceans take time to warm up and cool down. So, the hottest days typically come a few weeks later,” Khadijah said.
HOW LONG WILL SUMMER LAST?
Summer’s length varies a bit due to Earth’s elliptical orbit and its changing speed. On average, summer in the Northern Hemisphere is about 93.6 days long, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s around 89 days.
“In the UAE, summer generally aligns with the astronomical definition, beginning with the summer solstice and ending with the autumnal equinox. In 2024, this means summer starts on June 21 and lasts until around September 22,” Khadijah said.
There is an ancient tell-tale sign which has been used by Arabs for centuries to approximate when the scorching heat would come to an end – the Suhail Star, which tends to be appear around late August time.
However, due to the region’s climate, we experience hot temperatures well beyond these dates. Typically, the warmest time of the year extends from late May through early October.
Currently, UAE residents are experiencing the end of spring. The NCM released a statement about the weather in May earlier.
“This month is considered one of the months of the first transition period, spring, between winter and summer, during this month the apparent movement of the sun continues towards north of the equator where daytime gradually increases in the northern hemisphere, which leads to a gradual increase of air temperature over most parts of the country during this month,” the report read.
