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Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, sits on an island on the southern Gulf coast at approximately 24.45°N, 54.38°E. Like the rest of the lower Gulf it has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh), with a very long, intensely hot and humid summer and a short, warm, pleasant winter. Its low-lying coastal setting keeps humidity high through much of the year.
Summer stretches from around May to September and is brutal. Daytime highs commonly exceed 40°C and can approach the high 40s inland, while coastal humidity from the Gulf pushes the feels-like temperature even higher. Nights bring little relief, often staying in the low thirties. The sea warms dramatically, and the combination of heat and moisture makes the middle of the day difficult without air conditioning.
Winter, from December to February, is warm and comfortable, with daytime highs around 24–26°C and cooler nights that can dip to the low teens, a little colder out in the desert. Skies are predominantly clear and sunny, and this is comfortably the best time of year for the beach and outdoor activities, drawing the peak of the tourist season.
Rainfall is very sparse, generally around 100 mm or less a year, and almost entirely confined to the cooler months from November to March. The summer is effectively rainless. As across the region, the occasional winter storm can deliver an intense burst of rain in a few hours, sometimes causing localised flooding. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Dust and sandstorms carried on the northwesterly Shamal wind are a familiar hazard, particularly in spring, and can sharply cut visibility. Coastal fog can form on calm winter mornings. As a coastal desert capital, Abu Dhabi contends with both the dry heat of the surrounding desert and the sticky humidity of the Gulf shoreline.
To follow any single measurement in Abu Dhabi more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.