UAE summer starts today as traditional ‘Kannat Al Thuraya’ season begins

Dubai: The traditional summer season in the UAE begins today, April 28, with the start of Kannat Al Thuraya, also known as Ghiyoub Al Thuraya , according to Emirates Astronomy Society.

The period runs until June 7 and is considered the first stage of summer in seasonal tradition, marking the transition between spring weather and the more intense peak summer heat that follows later in the season.

This differs from the scientific astronomical start of summer, which begins on June 21, according to Dr Ahmad Habib, meteorologist at the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). That date coincides with the summer solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere receives its longest day of the year.

Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society and a member of the Arab Union for Space and Astronomy Sciences, was quoted by WAM as saying that the roughly 40-day phase is known through different terms - Al Kanna, Al Ghiyoub and Al Khafouq, all of which refer to disappearance, concealment or setting out of sight.

Al Thuraya refers to the Pleiades star cluster, a bright group of stars visible to the naked eye that has been used for navigation, agriculture, weather tracking and seasonal calendars for thousands of years.

The period marks the time when Al Thuraya aligns closely with the sun and cannot be seen from Earth.

Before the Kannat Al Thuraya season begins, the star cluster appears above the western horizon after sunset and gradually moves closer to the sun’s position. Once the period ends, it reappears above the eastern horizon before sunrise.

During this period, temperatures typically begin rising sharply across the UAE, with hotter days, drier conditions and lower humidity becoming more common. Northern and northwesterly winds may also become more active, while spring weather disturbances gradually fade.

The season has long been viewed as the dividing line between the milder spring period and the more severe summer heat known traditionally as Al Qayz.

Al Jarwan added that Gulf seafarers historically watched for Dharbat Al Thuraya (the strike of Al Thuraya) before the star cluster’s reappearance.

The Arabic word Dharbat means strike or blow, and the term refers to a strong weather event known for rough seas and sudden marine disturbances, particularly around late May and early June in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman.

Among Arabs, the evening reappearance of Al Thuraya was also traditionally linked to rainfall and welcomed as a positive seasonal sign.

- With inputs from WAM