The weather is the No. 1 topic of discussion in the United Arab Emirates at the moment, and not for the usual reasons. Instead of this being one of the hottest places in the world … we are struggling to deal with Arctic temps. Arctic, I tell you.

Like 56 … 55 … 54 … 53 (!) Fahrenheit.

And, imagine this: We will try to endure an overnight low of (brace yourself) 48 degrees on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

This is not entirely a laughing matter.

Like anyone, we here in the UAE become acclimated to local conditions, and the climate here is at least six months of 105-plus per day. And another three months when it could easily be 100 on any given day.

That leaves December, January and February as temperate months, but sometimes they get a little too temperate for us thin-blooded desert dwellers.

Anything below 70 gets noticed here. Anything below 60 becomes a major topic of conversation. And sub-50? We start expecting the Apocalypse.

As it crossed into the high 50s a day or two ago, an Emirati whose Twitter feed I follow tweeted that these sub-normal temps were surely an indication of “climate change.” He was serious.

Basically, this is a country not prepared to deal with the idea of wanting to be warmer. The building that houses The National and our Arabic-language sister paper is not heated, as far as I can tell.

Our apartment for sure has no source of heat. It does, however, have three separate AC wall units, which run pretty much nonstep from May through October.

During those months, it seems silly to own a sweatshirt, or sweatpants, or a coat/jacket of any kind. Displays of cold-weather clothing in malls bring hoots of derision. “Yeah, like I really need boots and a parka here.”

But then comes the local version of winter.

In the book “From Rags to Riches: The Story of Abu Dhabi”, detailing the rise of the UAE from Third World poor to First World wealthy, the author recalls shivering through cool nights in huts made of palm fronds. Blankets, jackets … just not needed here 50 weeks out of 52, so when those admittedly mild days (and nights) came along … it was memorably uncomfortable, in the author’s mind.

I did not bring anything heavier than a windbreaker, when I came here from California, and I hardly needed even that. I bought a real coat a few months ago only because we were going to Paris in early December.

I actually needed that coat, however, when I covered a bad soccer match tonight in the suburb of Baniyas. I had a T-shirt and sweater, but those would not have been enough, as the temps drifted into the 50s and the wind came up as I sat outside.

The past few nights, the sweats have come out of the bottom of drawers, and the idea of buying a space heater doesn’t sound completely crazy, as it would have even a month ago. I may even contemplate turning on the oven — but leaving the door open, to warm up the kitchen.

Temps in the 50s, even the 40s … are nothing, in most of the world. In some places, it’s beach weather. But you become conditioned to where you live, and 55 here is like 35 in California which is like 15 in Minnesota. Several of the Canadians who work here concede that they cannot go back to Canada. Just too cold, especially after living years here.

This upcoming overnight of 48 puts us within range of the lowest recorded temperature in the history of the capital city — 43 Fahrenheit, according to the Abu Dhabi wikipedia entry.

We’re chillin’. Not like you most of you chill. But Arabian Peninsula style.