A sticky situation: UAE hit by soaring humidity

Residents wake up to fogged-up windows with humidity rates reaching 90 per cent

Intense humidity causes condensation on the window of a mosque. Deepthi Unnikrishnan / The National

Parts of the UAE have been hit by humidity rates of up to 90 per cent.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said coastal areas and the islands were most affected.

There was a slight respite for residents as despite the fact high summer is here, temperatures were expected to reach highs of 41°C on Friday amid a low pressure system that is drifting across the country.

The mercury climbed above 50°C in parts of the UAE in June.

The conditions, meanwhile, are expected to continue well into next week. Parts of the UAE's east coast can expect more rain during the weekend.

"[It will be] fair to partly cloudy and hazy at times ... with a chance of some convective cloud formation by afternoon eastward," the NCM said. "[It will be] humid by night and Saturday morning over some coastal areas with a probability of mist formation."

The major cities on the UAE's west coast have escaped major rain this year but downpours have occurred frequently in the east.

Torrential rain, thunder storms and lightning hit parts of Sharjah on Tuesday.

A video posted by the NCM showed heavy rains in Al Madam and other areas.

The footage showed vehicles struggling to navigate roads with storms creating treacherous conditions and poor visibility.

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