Parking, Salik cards 'cook' in UAE sun

As the mercury continues to soar with each passing week, residents of the UAE are feeling the heat, with some reporting the plastic on their Salik and parking cards melting or fading away in direct sunlight.

An Emirates 24|7 reader sent in an image of his ‘solar cooked’ parking card.

Pratap A stated: “This image best exemplifies the intensity of the heat wave prevalent in the region. My ‘solar cooked’ car parking permit was literally charred black by the weather.”

He added: “The best part is, the RTA is technically well-equipped to still verify the authenticity and validity of the card, as I did not receive any parking ticket during the tenure.”

Another resident reported his Salik card, stuck on the windshield is also showing signs of melting around the edges; yet, the card seems to work effectively when it passes through the tollgate, he says.

June 21 marked the summer solstice, with the sun perpendicularly overhead the Tropic of Cancer.

The country is currently witnessing the longest days of the year, with temperatures expected to hover around high 40s, marking the official beginning of the summer season.
 
However, the NCMS has said such soaring temperatures are not uncommon for the month of June, with the highest temperature ever recorded during the month of June being 52°C in Yasat in 2010.

At the start of this month, NCMS had reported temperatures crossing the 50-degree mark, with June 2 and 3 seeing the Mercury hitting highs of 50.7 degrees Celsius in Sweihan.

On Monday, June 22, the highest temperature recorded over the country by the NCMS was 48.2°C in Al Qor at 2.45pm, with internal areas averaging 45°C over next 48 hours.

As we head into July, chances of a respite in the heat wave would be slim, with the month historically emerging as the hottest for the UAE on average.

The highest temperature recorded for July was 52.1°C in Al Jazeera in 2002.

The relative humidity increases slightly during this month, leading to an increase of heat sense feeling especially during night. The fog occurrences are decreasing as well.

While the number of repeat occurrences of fog was 15 days during June in 2014, in July, it was 11 days.

In the coming 48 hours, the UAE is going to experience partly cloudy and hazy weather over some areas, with moderate to fresh winds causing sand and dust to blow, which may reduce horizontal visibility at times especially over the exposed areas.

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