DUBAI (AlArabiya.net)
Dubai's Met office has warned that the current extreme heat felt across the country is only going to get worse as August approaches, press reports said Thursday.
With temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) and humidity levels of 60 per cent, the Met Office says the Comfort Index has plunged to "very unpleasant," UAE daily Gulf News said.
The Comfort Index factors in high temperatures and humidity levels to predict the effect it will have on a person.
"The heat is nothing unusual at this time of year," Duty Forecaster Dr. S.K. Gupta was quoted as saying, but he added that there are a number of factors that have made this year particularly hot.
The "very little greenery or vegetation" in the UAE combined with the construction boom and the growing number of vehicles on the roads all add to the rise in temperatures, the paper quoted Gupta as saying.
"Concrete absorbs heat and retains it and emissions from the vehicles...are increasing by 20 per cent every month," he said.
So far, the hottest temperature this year hit 49.5 degrees Celsius (121.1 degrees Fahrenheit) in Dubai's neighboring emirate, Sharjah, Gulf News said. |
