KUWAIT: A local daily reported yesterday that the summer's highest temperature may reach as high as 80 degrees Celsius in the desert. Essa Ramadan, a Kuwaiti meteorologist from Civil Aviation denied such a possibility. "It's not possible to just predict the temperature randomly and exaggerate," he said. Today, is the first day of the summer solstice and tomorrow will be the longest day of the year. "The day will reach 14 hours while the night will only be 10 hours long. By the end of the month the day will start getting shorter and the night will get longer," explained Ramadan.

According to Ramadan, the angle of the sun's rays will be about 84 degrees, which is semi vertical, in areas near a latitude of 30 degrees north of the equator. At noon, a person's shadow will almost be non-existent during this time. "The direct temperature of the sun rays can't be measured correctly because of surrounding circumstances, such as air-conditioning, concrete buildings, and asphalt streets," he explained.

The highest temperature ever registered was 57.8 (degrees Celsius) in Libya in 1929 and then 56.7 in the United States in 1913," he noted. "In Kuwait, the highest temperature recorded was 51.3 in 1998." This year, Kuwait recorded its highest temperature in the history of the country. "This year we registered 52 degrees Celsius in Kuwait City and 54 in the Matraba area. It remained 51 degrees at the Kuwait International Airport," said Ramadan.

This great heat does not give rain a chance to fall. "Very light rain fall in the south of Kuwait and the east areas of Saudi Arabia evaporated quickly because of the high temperatures," said Ramadan. "The rain was caused by clouds that formed from the humidity in the upper atmospheres. In the coming days we expect that the humidity will decrease as north-west winds become active. This will cause dry weather and dust starting from today in the evening.

Ramadan expects the temperature to remain normal because of the dust. "The temperatures will be around 43 - 48 degrees Celsius. We don't expect as extreme temperatures as last week," he said. He also provided advice for people in this hot weather. "People should protect themselves against the danger of direct sun light as they may get skin cancer no matter what their skin color is. If they are going to the beach they should also take an umbrella and big hats to stay protected," Ramadan concluded.

The extreme heat also hit neighboring countries. According to Okath, a Saudi newspaper, public authorities in Saudi Arabia in charge of mosque affairs advised visitors, especially those on pilgrimage, to organize their trips to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia according to weather conditions. The newspaper expected a great increase in temperature, especially today.

It's worth noting that in cities the temperature may also increase due to other factors, such as industrial structures and residential towers that restrict air movement. There are other emissions and gases produced from factories that increase the level of heat in the city. - Kuwait Times