Why the desert in Dubai is 10 degrees cooler than the city

You may assume that the Dubai desert would be hotter than the city in the late afternoons, but this is not the case. Many people don’t realise that not only is it possible to travel to Dubai during summer but in the late afternoons, it is actually cooler in the desert than the city! About two hours before the Arabian sun sets, the temperature in the desert begins to cool down quite rapidly – in fact, it can be as much as 7 to 10 degrees cooler than the city and the coast. The main reason for this is because of the sand.

There’s not a lot of moisture in the sand so this causes the desert to cool down rapidly in the late afternoon and early evenings. Because of this, exploring the desert in the late afternoon during the summer is one of the best things to do during a trip to Dubai. Bedouin, groups of nomadic natives who inhabited the desert regions, adapted to the desert climate accordingly – traditionally their desert camps were built on sand dunes in order to catch the breeze of the late afternoon. The tents are specifically designed to allow air to circulate within them, keeping them cool. Animal hair is also usually used to insulate the tents which keeps them cooler during the day.