UAE longest day of the year more than 13 hours

The UAE will soon witness the longest day due to an early summer solstice this year.

The summer solstice occurs on June 21 in most years, but this year it will be a little earlier than usual on June 20 for most countries in the world at 20:51 UTC, which is the earliest time since 1796. 

This celestial event will usher in the longest day of the year for the UAE, with daylight hours reaching 13 hours and 48 minutes. Similar variations in solstice timing can be expected in future leap years.

Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Board Chairman of the Emirates Astronomical Society and member of the Arab Union for Space and Astronomy Sciences, explained that during the summer solstice, the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, its northernmost point. In areas directly below the sun, such as the southern regions of the UAE, there will be no shadow at noon. Shadows at noontime will also be shorter across the Arabian Peninsula, with the shortest shadow occurring in the entire Northern Hemisphere.

Al Jarwan added that temperatures are expected to range between 41 and 43 degrees Celsius during the day and 26 and 29 degrees Celsius at night, with generally dry conditions and active winds. This is expected to be the case during the first half of summer, which runs from June 21 to August 10.

The second half of summer, spanning from August 11 to the autumnal equinox on September 23, is characterised by an influx of high humidity, persistent high temperatures, and the activation of moist Kos winds. These winds invigorate the formation of cumulonimbus clouds over mountainous regions and their surroundings, leading to thunderstorms.