NCM Annual Climate Assessment 2022 S

ANNUAL
CLIMATE
ASSESSMENT
2022
United Arab Emirates
Issued: March 2023 www.ncm.ae

ANNUAL
CLIMATE
ASSESSMENT
2022
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Issued by: Issued:

Climate Section, Meteorology Department March
National Center of Meteorology, UAE 2023
04 ANNUAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT 2022

CLIMATE IN 2022
Annual mean temperature Monthly mean temperature Monthly total rainfall
Page 13 Page 08 Page 09
The annual mean temperature The mean temperatures in winter In 2022 UAE received a total mean
was 28.4°C and it was 0.4 °C months are above & in summer rainfall of 56.2 mm. The summer
higher than the long-term average months are below the long-term month of July received 14.8 mm
(2003-2022) and ranked as the average (2003-2022). of mean rainfall, first time highest
FIFTH warmest year on record. mean rainfall recorded in July
compared to the last 20 years.
Notable weather events in 2022
Remarkable July Coolest day Dust storms

Page 15 Page 17 Page 19
On 27th of July, most areas The coolest day of the year In May 2022, UAE experienced
received moderate to heavy rain; was recorded in Jais Mountain two significant dust storms that
Fujairah Port received maximum (Ras Al Khaimah area). Due occurred on 17-19 May and 24-26
rain of 220.9 mm, Fujairah airport to northwesterly winds (local May. The dust storms resulting
(169.4 mm), and Masafi (123.3 weather conditions), the minimum from the northerly winds carried
mm). The citizens witnessed temperature dropped to -0.1°C on more dust, crossed the western
heavy rainfall in the Fujairah 21st of January. The next day (22nd parts of UAE and Arabian Gulf,
region (Auwhalah, Al Faseel, Al of January), frost occurred due to and later moved to some internal
Aqah, Al Fqait, Mirbah, AlQurayyah significant drop in temperatures. areas.
and other surroundings). These
rains continued till the 28th of
July and caused flash floods in
Fujairah and surrounding areas.
National Center of Meteorology www.ncm.ae

ANNUAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT 2022
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 05
Extreme Weather Events

in 2022
Coldest Night
Jais Mountain
-0.1°C
21 January
(Frost)
Wettest day
Fujairah Port
220.9 mm
27 July
(Floods)
Hottest Day
Sweihan
51°C Strongest wind gust
9 August Al Ain intl airport
129.6 Km/hr
5 July
(Thunderstorm)
Driest month
March & May
Zero mm

STATE OF CLIMATE
IN 2022
Report at a glance:
The National Center of Meteorology (NCM) plays an important role in monitoring and analyzing the observed
changes in UAE’s climate.
The state of climate report 2022 over the United Arab Emirates is important for several application-oriented
sectors, such as agriculture, water resources, energy, tourism and food security. This report draws on the
latest climate research, encompassing observations and analyses to describe year to year variability and
longer-term changes in the UAE’s climate, emphasizing 2022.
Having up-to-date climatic information for a region enhances the effectiveness of any assessments for
climate impact studies, especially in relation to global warming and changes in the climate.

STATE OF CLIMATE
IN 2022
Key points
• UAE’s climate has warmed by 0.4°C from the long-term average (2003-2022). The annual mean temperature
was 28.4°C and it was ranked as the FIFTH warmest year on record.
• The highest monthly mean temperature of 35.7°C was recorded in August and it is -0.03°C below the long-
term average (2003-2022). The lowest monthly mean temperature of 19.1°C was recorded in January and
it is 0.9°C above the long-term average (2003-2022).
• Climatologically the winter months are receiving more rain over UAE. In 2022, UAE received a total mean of
56.2 mm throughout the year. No rain recorded in March and May months.
• Remarkably, the summer month of July received 14.8 mm of mean rainfall, the first time the highest mean
rain recorded in July compared to the last 20 years. There has been a decline in annual rainfall compared
with the long-term mean.
• mm,
Most areas received moderate to heavy rain on 27 of July; Fujairah Port received maximum rain of 220.9
th
Fujairah airport (169.4 mm), and Masafi (123.3 mm). The citizens witnessed heavy rainfall in the
Fujairah region (Auwhalah, Al Faseel, Al Aqah, Al Fqait, Mirbah, AlQurayyah and other surroundings). These
rains continued till the 28th of July and caused flash floods in Fujairah and surrounding areas.
• The coolest day of the year was recorded in Jais Mountain (Ras Al Khaimah area). Due to northwesterly
winds (local weather conditions), the minimum temperature dropped to -0.1°C on 21 January. The next
st
day (22nd January), frost occurred due to significant drop in temperatures.
• The hottest day of the year was recorded in Sweihan (Al Ain area).
maximum temperature reached to 51°C on 9 of August.
th
Due to southeasterly to winds, the
• Inresulting
May 2022, UAE experienced significant dust storms on 17-19 May and 24-26 May. The dust storms
from the northerly winds carried more dust, crossed the western parts of UAE and Arabian Gulf,
and later moved to some internal areas.
• Thick fog event occurred on 18 – 20 October 2022 with reduced horizontal visibility of below 100 meters
in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Al Maktoum Int’l Airports, and with below 80
meters visibility in Al Dhafra, Al Minhad, Madinat Zayed , Sweihan, Al Zaaba areas. October 2022 experienced
26 foggy/misty days, which the highest number in 2022. The lowest frequency occurred in May, with only
one occasion.
• Inthan-normal
2022, the La Niña conditions continued from January to December. La Niña is associated with drier-
conditions in Arabian Peninsula. The La Niña events affect the temperature and precipitation
patterns across the UAE. La Niña events have a relative effect on UAE’s rainfall during both summer and
winter seasons.

STATE OF CLIMATE
IN 2022
Monthly Mean Temperature for 2022
The annual cycles of the observed mean temperatures are presented in figure1. Climatologically, the mean
temperature crosses 34°C during the summer months (June-July-August-September), with peaks in July
and August. In contrast, in winter months (December- January- February-March), the temperatures are
recorded below 21°C. In the individual months of 2022, the monthly mean temperatures remained above
the long-term average except in May, July, August, and September. In august 2022, the monthly mean
temperature was 35.7°C and was -0.03°C below the long-term average. Similarly, the lowest monthly mean
temperature of 19.1°C was recorded in January 2022, which is 0.9°C above the long-term average. July 2017
was recorded as the highest mean temperature of 37.2°C and is 1.4°C above the long-term average (2003-
2022). In contrast, the lowest mean temperature of 16.4°C was recorded in January 2009 and is 1.8°C below
the long-term average.
Figure 1: Monthly mean temperature for 19-year average from UAE climate stations (bar graphs, 2003-2021) compared to 2022 (solid
line blue line). The highest recorded monthly values for the historical period prior to 2022 as ‘red dots’.

STATE OF CLIMATE
IN 2022
Monthly Total Rainfall for 2022
Climatologically, the annual cycles show that the winter months receive more rain than the summer months.
In 2022, UAE received a total mean of 56.2 mm. Remarkably, the winter month of January received 16.7 mm,
and the other winter months recorded less rainfall and NO rainfall recorded in March and May, where clouds
partially accompanied the sky. The summer month of July received 14.8 mm, the first time the highest rainfall
in July in the last 20 years. There has been a decline in annual rainfall compared with the long-term mean.
Figure 2: Monthly total rainfall for 19-year average from UAE climate stations (bar graphs, 2003-2021) compared to 2022 (solid line
blue line).

STATE OF CLIMATE
IN 2022
UAE Monthly Rainfall Anomaly for 2022
Most of the months in 2022 experienced below-average rainfall. Based on the UAE average, the monthly
rainfall anomaly (%) for 2022 shows deficit rainfall for most of the months except for January (41.4 %) and
July (176.4 %); mainly, the deficit was more in the spring and winter months. The total annual mean rainfall
in this year ranks FIFTH lowest over the past 20 years.
Figure 3: Monthly rainfall anomaly (in %) for 2022 averaged over UAE stations from the long term mean (2003-2022).

RAINFALL
IN 2022
Rainfall activity over the country was below normal during the year. Figure 4 shows the spatial distribution
of annual total rainfall in the UAE. It can be seen that the northeastern UAE received more than 200 mm of
rain, whereas the remaining areas (south-central parts of the UAE) witnessed below 90 mm. In 2022, the UAE
received a total mean of 56.2 mm, which is the FIFTH lowest recorded in the last 20 years (Figure 5). The year
2022 was the driest on record; the country’s annual total rainfall was in deficit compared with the long-term
average (2003-2022). Figure 6 shows the spatial pattern of the monthly rainfall contribution. Rainfall activity
was observed over the northeast and south-central parts of the UAE in most of the months. The summer
month of July contributed more rainfall this year, particularly in the northeastern parts, compared to the
remaining months. Climatologically, the winter months also contributed more rain over UAE, whereas in 2022,
only January contributed more rain and the remaining winter months recorded deficit rainfall. Persistent
La Niña conditions are associated with drier-than-normal conditions over UAE, which experienced below-
average rainfall in 2022.
Figure 4. Annual total rainfall distribution across UAE in 2022

RAINFALL
IN 2022
Top Driest Years in the last 19 years, 2003 (Based on NCS weather stations)
Figure 5. Driest years in the last 19 years over UAE (based on the data record from 2003 onwards)
(no rain)
January February March
(no rain)
April May June
July August September
October November December
Figure 6. Monthly total rainfall across UAE in 2022.

TEMPERATURE
IN 2022
Annual mean temperature 2022
The spatial distribution of the annual mean temperature based on the UAE climate stations varies from
27°C to more than 31°C. The southeastern region recorded higher temperatures than the coastal inland and
northeast mountainous areas. The northeastern mountain areas of UAE recorded lower temperatures. The
year 2022 was the FIFTH warmest year reported in UAE based on temperature records since 2003. Recorded
first four warmest years are 2021, 2018, 2017, and 2015 respectively. The annual mean air temperature in
2022 was 28.4°C, which is 0.4°C above the long-term average (2003-2022).
Figure 7. Annual mean temperature in 2022
Top Warmest Years since 2003 (Based on NCMS weather stations)
Figure 8. Warmest years in the last 20 years over UAE (based on the data record from 2003 onwards)

RAINFALL AND TEMPRETURE

VARIABILATY OVER UAE
Figure 9. UAE annual mean rainfall anomaly (percentage) for the period 2003-2022 compared to the long-term mean.
Figure 10. UAE annual mean temperature anomaly (difference) for the period 2003-2022 compared to the long-term mean.
The annual rainfall average over the country in 2022 was a 29% deficit of its long-term period (2003-2022).
Figure 9. shows the time series of the percentage departure of annual mean rainfall over the country. On most
occasions, La Nina events bring drier than average rainfall to UAE, whereas El Nino events bring wetter than
moderate winter rain.
The UAE average annual mean temperature anomaly for 2022 was 0.4°C above the long-term average (2003-
2022); thus, 2022 is the FIFTH warmest year since 2003. The five warmest years on record in descending
order are 2021(0.7°C), 2018 (0.5°C), 2017 (0.5°C), 2015 (0.5°C), 2022 (0.4°C), respectively. NINE warmest
years were recorded in the twenty years (2003-2022). The past EIGHT years were also the warmest years on
record. Irrespective of El Niño/La Niña –like events, temperatures are increasing over the region.

EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS IN 2021
Remarkable July
Prior to 27th July 2022, the movement of ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) towards the north, followed
by the extension of surface and upper air low-pressure systems from North of India and Pakistan, led to the
advection of clouds from the Arabian Sea & Oman Sea from the upper and lower layers of the atmosphere.
The convective rainy clouds moved from the east, accompanied by moderate to heavy rains over scattered
areas of the northeast of the country. In addition, some local convective rainy clouds developed over some
north and eastern parts of the UAE.
On 27th of July, most areas received moderate to heavy rain; Fujairah Port received maximum rain of 220.9
mm, Fujairah airport recorded 169.4 mm, and Masafi received 123.3 mm. The citizens witnessed heavy rainfall
in the Fujairah region (Auwhalah, Al Faseel, Al Aqah, Al Fqait, Mirbah, AlQurayyah and other surroundings).
These rains continued till the 28th of July and caused flash floods in Fujairah and surrounding areas. All these
are located in the eastern part of the UAE.
Figure 11: Weather radar images of the convective clouds that moved over the UAE on 27th July 2022.

EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS IN 2022
Thunderstorm Activity in July
On 5th of July, cumulonimbus clouds developed over the eastern part of UAE, especially over Al Ain Area. Due
to thunderstorm activity, heavy rains were recorded in some areas, particularly at Khatam Al Shaklah with
67.8 mm, 22.5 mm over Raknah, and 19.9 mm over Alfoah, while Al Ain & Al Ain Airport surrounding recorded
18 and 10.8mm of rain, respectively.
During that time, the downdraft reached the ground as well as the gusty winds (129.6 km/h) caused dusty
weather conditions with poor visibility of below 500 meters reported at Al Ain Airport areas; subsequently, a
drop in air temperature from 41.2°C to 22.6°C was noticed within 30 minutes. Later clouds moved towards
Abu Dhabi and over some internal areas.
Figure 12: Weather radar image of the thunderstorm activity (cumulonimbus clouds) over the UAE on 5th July 2022.

EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS IN 2022
Coolest day
The winter season (DJFM) brought cooler temperatures over UAE on some days, particularly in January.
Cold-wave conditions mainly prevailed over the central and northeastern parts of the country (Fig. 13). The
lowest daily minimum temperature was recorded as -0.1°C in Jais Mountain (Ras Al Khaimah area) on 21st
January 2022 due to northwesterly light winds (local weather conditions).
The next day (22nd January) morning, frost occurred due to significant drop in temperatures. Clear skies, light
breeze, decent soil moisture, and low night-time dew point depressions cause frost formation. Inland areas
experienced cold weather conditions with temperatures ranging from 5°C and 16°C, while temperatures over
the coastal stations went between 9°C and 18°C during the morning.
Figure 13. Daily minimum temperature over UAE on 21th January 2022

EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS IN 2022
Hottest day
The summer season (JJAS) brought hot weather conditions over UAE on some days, particularly in August.
High temperature conditions mainly prevailed over most parts of the country, especially in August (Fig. 14).
The highest daily maximum temperature was recorded as 51°C in Sweihan (Al Ain area) on 9th August 2022
due to southeasterly winds. Coastal stations recorded a maximum temperature range from 35°C to 45°C,
whereas the inland stations recorded more than 46°C.
Figure 14. Daily maximum temperature over UAE on 9th August 2022

EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS IN 2022
Remarkable dust events and dust days in 2022
Dust storms are a common weather phenomenon in dry and desert climate regions. Dust and sand storms,
which affect the UAE, originate from different areas and are classified into regional and local sources. The
primary regional sources include Iraq (Central and Southern parts), several border areas between Iraq and
neighboring countries, the border area between Afghanistan, Pakistan & Iran, and the empty quarter in Saudi
Arabia. While the local source includes industrial and human activities, different natural weather conditions
(thunderstorms during downdraft, SE winds) produce dust and cause rising dust/sand, affecting the UAE.
The satellite images are used to monitor the origin of dust, its density, and the direction of movement in the
atmosphere over the area of interest.
In May 2022, UAE experienced many occasions of dust storms in terms of intensity and duration. They
resulted in severe effects on the populations due to worsening air quality over several days. Figure 15 shows
two significant dust storms; the first occurred on 17-19 May, and the second on 24-26 May. The dust storms
are seen to propagate downstream into the Southeastern Arabian Peninsula on those days. The dust storms
resulting from the northerly winds carried more dust, crossed the western parts of UAE and Arabian Gulf,
and later moved to some internal areas. The surface wind charts on these events showed the fresh to strong
Northwesterly wind accompanied by a vast amount of dust over many peninsula areas and reached UAE on
17-19 May and 24-26 May (Fig.16). The spatial distribution of the total annual number of dust days during
2022 is shown in figure 17. There are many occurrences of dust on many occasions, especially in internal and
western parts of the UAE. Climatologically, dust storms are more frequent in May month.
UAE DUST MSG4 H UAE DUST MSG4 H UAE DUST MSG4 H

17/MAY /22 12:00 UTC 18/MAY /22 17:30 UTC 19/MAY /22 17:15 UTC
Figure 15. Satellite images and surface charts for dust event on 17th, 18th and 19th May 2022

EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS IN 2022
UAE DUST MSG4 H UAE DUST MSG4 H UAE DUST MSG4 H

24/MAY /22 17:00 UTC 25/MAY /22 19:30 UTC 26/MAY /22 17:45 UTC
Figure 16. Satellite images and surface charts for dust event on 24th, 25th and 26th May 2022

EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS IN 2022
60
45
30
15
Figure 17. Annual total dust days over UAE in 2022

EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS IN 2022
Fog days in 2022
Fog is a common weather phenomenon in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The most common fog type
is radiation fog. Winter and transitional months are more prominent for fog occurrence, and even in other
months, it occurs on most occasions. Remarkably, October 2022 experienced 26 foggy/misty days, the
highest number in 2022.
The winter months of January, February, and March recorded 16 foggy/misty days in each month. In contrast,
the lowest number of days occurred in May, with only one occasion. On 18th February 2022, thick foggy
conditions covered the areas around Qasyoura, Sweihan, Khalifa College, Al Zaaba as well as most part of Al
Dhafra area and reduced visibility to below 80 meters.
Another thick fog occurred on 18 – 20 October 2022 with reduced horizontal visibility of below 100 meters in
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Al Maktoum Int’l Airports, and with below 80 meters
visibility in Al Dhafra, Al Minhad, Madinat Zayed , Sweihan, Al Zaaba areas (Figure 18).
Poor visibility conditions prevailed on those days in most of the places. The annual total number of foggy/
misty days figures show that the highest number of fog/misty days was recorded in the internal and western
parts of UAE (Figure 18).

EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS IN 2022
18 Feb 2022 18 Oct 2022 19 Oct 2022 20 Oct 2022
200
150
100
50
Figure 18. Satellite image of fog day (upper) and annual total fog days over UAE (lower)

LARGE-SCALE CLIMATE
VARIABILITY IN 2022
Overview
The climate variability on the earth’s surface is strongly influenced by the Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
anomalies in the tropical oceans. More specifically, the inter-annual climate variability in the tropics and
extra-tropical regions has a significant impact due to the anomalous SSTs in the tropical Pacific coupled with
the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) through atmospheric teleconnections.
ENSO is one of the most important drivers of worldwide year-to-year weather variability. It is linked to hazards
such as heavy rains, floods, and drought. Surface air temperature (SAT) is an integral component of climate
variability and is a crucial measure of climate change on regional and global scales.
El Niño, characterized by higher-than-average SSTs in the eastern tropical Pacific and a weakening of the
trade winds, typically has a warming influence on global temperatures. La Niña, which is characterized by
below-average SSTs in the central and eastern tropical Pacific and a strengthening of the trade winds, has
the opposite effect.
The Arabian Peninsula (AP) climate is extremely arid and dry. The peninsula is sensitive to climate fluctuations
and is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts.
The regional climate over the peninsula is modulated by the various teleconnection patterns of the El
Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), Atlantic sea surface temperatures, and the
associated atmospheric circulation patterns. These drivers are realizations of various atmospheric and
oceanic processes and can persist over several seasons and produce severe regional effects.

LARGE-SCALE CLIMATE
VARIABILITY IN 2022
The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Overview
The Niño 3.4 index is one of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indicators based on sea surface temperatures
over the Pacific Ocean. The monthly time series of Niño3.4 SST anomalies for the last 24 months from January
2021 to December 2022 is shown in Fig.18. In 2022, the La Niña conditions prevailed from January to May.
The strength of La Niña conditions decreased during June and July and strengthened during August and
subsequent September. However, the strength of La Niña conditions was slightly weakened from October to
December compared to the start of 2022.
In addition to having a temporary cooling influence on Earth’s global temperature, La Niña is associated with
drier-than-normal conditions in Arabian Peninsula. The Arabian Peninsula experienced consecutive below-
average rainfall in 2022. The La Niña events affect the temperature and precipitation patterns across the UAE.
La Niña events have a relative effect on UAE’s rainfall during both seasons.
Figure 19. Nino 3.4 index from January 2021 to December 2022. This index clearly indicates the La Niña conditions in 2022.

LARGE-SCALE CLIMATE
VARIABILITY IN 2022
The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Overview
The ENSO phenomenon is considered to be responsible for rainfall and temperature in many regions across
the globe.
Generally, El Niño, the warm phase of ENSO, is associated with enhanced precipitation over Arabian Peninsula,
whereas La Niña, the cold phase, is associated with suppressed rainfall over Arabian Peninsula.
During El Nino events (and during La Nina events), particularly in the summer season (JJAS), we noticed less
rainfall (more rainfall) over the southern and eastern Arabian Peninsula (Figure 20).
In contrast, it was quite the opposite in the winter season (DJFM), and the Peninsula receives more rainfall
in El Niño than in La Nina events in most places (Figure 21). The UAE generally gets moderate rainfall during
the El Niño events, particularly in the winter.
Moreover, the ENSO significantly impacts the winter season precipitation variability over the Peninsula
through considerable changes in the moisture availability and variability in the westerly jet passing over the
region.
This results in abnormal conditions and triggers rainfall extremes, which are more frequent during the positive
phase of ENSO. The precipitation variability over UAE is associated with ENSO, which shows that during the
positive (negative) ENSO phase, the precipitation increases (decreases) over the country.
During the summer, below-normal temperatures were noticed over most of the Peninsula, including UAE, and
above-the-normal surface air temperature anomalies were reported over the central to northern parts of the
Peninsula during the cold phase of ENSO.
In the summertime, much of the Peninsula was noted with cooler than average (warmer than average)
temperatures in the El Niño (La Niña) events (Figure 22). During wintertime, most areas were noted with lower
temperatures in El Niño than in La Niña events (Figure 23).

LARGE-SCALE CLIMATE
VARIABILITY IN 2022
Rainfall composites for ENSO phases
Figure 20. Rainfall composites for ENSO phases during the summertime (JJAS). Green (brown) indicates more (less) rainfall: El Nino
(left) and La Nina (right).
Figure 21. Rainfall composites for ENSO phases during the wintertime (DJFM). Green (brown) indicates more (less) rainfall: El Nino (left)
and La Nina (right).

LARGE-SCALE CLIMATE
VARIABILITY IN 2022
Temperature composites for ENSO phases
Figure 22. Temperature composites for ENSO phases during the summertime (JJAS). Red (blue) indicates warmer (cooler) temperature:
El Nino (left) and La Nina (right).
Figure 23. Temperature composites for ENSO phases during the wintertime (DJFM). Red (blue) indicates warmer (cooler) temperature:
El Nino (left) and La Nina (right).

LARGE-SCALE CLIMATE
VARIABILITY IN 2022
Rainfall and temperature anomalies during summertime in 2022
Figure 24. Summertime (JJAS) 2022 anomalies for rainfall (left), with areas in green (brown) received more (less) than long term average
and temperature (right), with red (blue) areas indicating warmer (cooler) than long term average areas.
The summertime rainfall showed wetter conditions over most of the peninsula, particularly the south,
southwestern parts, and eastern parts (including UAE) of the peninsula, which received more rainfall than
average (Figure 24, left). In the UAE, the summer rainfall tends to be lower, particularly along with the coastal
areas away from the mountains. In 2022, UAE received more rain in the summer months.
The mountain ranges play an essential role in cloud development, and during this process, rainfall eventually
occurs; such rainfall is orographic in nature. The reduced rainfall led to relatively warmer temperatures over
land, as shown by the surface temperature anomaly for June-September 2022 (Figure 24, right).
Locally, the effects of temperature (warmer) and rainfall (drier) were felt in 2022. However, the magnitudes of
the impact varied from month to month, and not all of them can be attributed to La Niña alone. At the end of
2022, this La Niña event was slightly weakened.
During this time, the temperatures were above normal in most of the peninsula, whereas parts of the south
and southeastern peninsula noted below-normal temperatures. The Indian monsoon low-pressure system
and the thermal low dominate the region, which plays an important role in raising the temperatures in the
country.

INDIAN OCEAN DIPOLE

(IOD) OVERVIEW
Figure 25. The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) index shows that the weak IOD from June 2022 onwards.
In addition to ENSO conditions over the Pacific, other factors, such as Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures,
influence this region’s climate variability.
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) describes the relative cooling and heating of the eastern and western parts of
the Indian Ocean. The IOD is an irregular oscillation of SSTs and related atmospheric circulation in the Indian
Ocean. The IOD has positive and negative phases, defined by opposing SST anomalies in the western and
eastern tropical Indian Ocean.
The monthly time series of the IOD index from January 2021 to December 2022 is shown in Fig.25. Sea
surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Indian Ocean were cooler than average across much of the basin. From
January 2022 to April 2022, neutral IOD conditions were observed over the Indian Ocean, and the IOD was on
the negative side of its normal. The negative IOD value strengthened from May to July 2022 and weakened
from August 2022 to November 2022. The IOD has remained within the average, and neutral IOD conditions
were observed in December 2022.
The IOD index has been below the negative thresholds throughout 2022, which is a worry regarding the
spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall over the Arabian Peninsula.
When the negative IOD events occur in the west of the Indian Ocean, the sea surface temperature will be
colder than average, and the adjacent regions will get a reduced amount of rainfall.

INDIAN OCEAN DIPOLE

(IOD) OVERVIEW
Negative IOD events and January – March rainfall and temperature
Negative IOD conditions were observed from starting the year over the Indian Ocean, which enhanced in the
subsequent months throughout the year.
The strength of the negative IOD fluctuated considerably during the year’s second half and returned to neutral
by the end of 2022. Simultaneous negative IOD and La Niña events typically influence the precipitation
patterns.
January - March rainfall showed drier conditions over most of the peninsula, particularly the UAE (Fig 26,
left). During this same time, the temperatures were above average in most of the peninsula, whereas UAE and
surrounding areas recorded above-average temperatures (Fig 26, left).
Figure 26. January – March 2022 rainfall anomalies (left), with areas in green (brown) received more (less) than long term average and
temperature anomalies (right), with red (blue) areas indicating warmer (cooler) than long term average areas.

GLOBAL TEMPERATURE
ANOMALIES
Global annual surface temperature anomalies in 2022
2022
Figure 27. Global annual surface temperature anomalies in 2022 (relative to 1981-2010 mean).
Globally, different parts of the land and ocean are warming at different rates. The 2022 annual surface
temperatures were above average across much of the world’s land and ocean surfaces. The year 2022 was
characterized by much warmer-than-average temperatures across much of the globe, with record-high
annual temperatures across parts of Europe, southern Asia, the North, and the southwestern Pacific, the
Atlantic, and southeastern Pacific oceans (Fig 27).
Meanwhile, cooler-than-average temperatures were limited to the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean,
consistent with an episode of La Niña that persisted throughout the year. Average temperatures reached 3°C
above average over north-western Siberia.
Among several other regions with pronounced above-average temperatures were southwestern Europe and
the Antarctic Peninsula; temperatures here reached or exceeded 2°C above average. Temperatures were
mostly below average over the tropical eastern Pacific, indicative of continuing La Niña conditions. Relatively
low temperatures and high rainfall over eastern Australia in 2022 are also features typically linked with La
Niña events.The year 2022 is less warm than in recent years due to a moderate La Niña at the start of the
year. La Niña has a temporary cooling effect on the global mean temperature and influences regionalweather

GLOBAL TEMPERATURE
ANOMALIES
and climate. 2022 was still a warmer year, influenced by La Nina. The long-term warming resulting from
Green House Gases (GHGs) is far more significant than the year-to-year variability caused by naturally
occurring climate drivers. The figures from ERA5 show the average annual temperatures, relative to 1981-
2010, worldwide for the year and the last ten years (Fig. 28).
Global annual surface temperature anomalies for the past 9 years
2021 2020 2019
2018 2017 2016
2015 2014 2013
Figure 28. Global annual surface temperature anomalies (relative to 1981-2010) for the past 9 years from ERA5 reanalysis data.

GLOBAL TEMPERATURE
ANOMALIES
Global mean surface temperature in 2022
Figure 29. Global annual average temperature difference from preindustrial conditions (1850–1900).
The global surface temperatures in 2022 were among the warmest measured since records began in the
mid-1800s. The global mean surface temperature anomaly during 2022 was around 1.24 ± 0.03 °C above the
pre-industrial average (1850-1900).
This is ~0.03 °C warmer than in 2021. As a result, 2022 is the Fifth warmest year (2015 to 2022) on record,
and slightly warmer than 2021 and similar to 2015 (Figure 29). Since the 1980s, each successive decade
has been warmer than all preceding decades back to at least 1850 (More details can be found at https://
berkeleyearth.org/global-temperature-report-for-2022/). Some selected climate anomalies and extreme
events occurred worldwide in 2022 has been provided in the figure 30.

GLOBAL TEMPERATURE
ANOMALIES
Worldwide observed significant extremes events in 2022
Figure 30. Significant climate anomalies and globally occurred extreme events in 2022

DATA
SOURCES
Data sources:
In the present assessment report, we have used the following datasets:
Precipitation:
Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS). https://www.chc.ucsb.edu/data
2m temperature:
ERA5 dataset produced by the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts, UK (ECMWF). https://www.
ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/reanalysis-datasets/era5
Global Tempreture data sets:

HadCRUT5, NOAAGlobalTemp, GISTEMP, Berkeley Earth, JRA-55
IOD data:
Indian Ocean Dipole index data from Bureau of Meteorology, Australia. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/indices.
shtml?bookmark=iod
Nino 3.4 Index data:

NOAA/CPC monthly Nino 3.4
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/detrend.nino34.ascii.txt
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information:

Monthly Global Climate Report for Annual 2022, published online January 2023, retrieved on February 7, 2023 from
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/202213.
Station data:
National Center of Meteorology, Abu Dhabi maintained the station-wise climate data across the UAE.
Ref № 100320220437-V4
National Center of Meteorology
P.O.Box: 4815, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Tel.:+971 2 222 7777 Fax: +971 2 666 1575
www.ncm.ae

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ANNUAL

Issued: March 2023 www.ncm.ae

Issued by: Issued:

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Notable weather events in 2022

Remarkable July Coolest day Dust storms

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Extreme Weather Events

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day (22nd January), frost occurred due to significant drop in temperatures.

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Figure 4. Annual total rainfall distribution across UAE in 2022

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January February March

April May June

July August September

October November December

Figure 6. Monthly total rainfall across UAE in 2022.

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Figure 7. Annual mean temperature in 2022

Top Warmest Years since 2003 (Based on NCMS weather stations)

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RAINFALL AND TEMPRETURE

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UAE DUST MSG4 H UAE DUST MSG4 H UAE DUST MSG4 H

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UAE DUST MSG4 H UAE DUST MSG4 H UAE DUST MSG4 H

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Figure 17. Annual total dust days over UAE in 2022

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National Center of Meteorology www.ncm.ae

18 Feb 2022 18 Oct 2022 19 Oct 2022 20 Oct 2022

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National Center of Meteorology www.ncm.ae

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INDIAN OCEAN DIPOLE

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INDIAN OCEAN DIPOLE

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National Center of Meteorology www.ncm.ae

Global annual surface temperature anomalies for the past 9 years

2021 2020 2019

2018 2017 2016

2015 2014 2013

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