We have been quite lucky with the weather, so far. It’s been a balmy 90-something since we got here.

And that isn’t sarcasm. Anything in the 90s, in October? We’re ahead of the game.

Abu Dhabi may not have the most miserable climate on Earth, but it’s in the running. At the torrid end of the spectrum, other contenders might include Djibouti … and, well, actually, Dubai, just up the coast, appears to be a few degrees hotter than where I am now. So take that, Dubai. (It’s a UAE rivalry thing.)

Anyway, it’s absurdly hot for six months of the year, seriously hot for a couple of more … and quite temperate in the other four. And with lots of humidity.

We have arrived, however, after the worst of it. It has yet to crack 100 since we have been here. Life is good. But eventually …Here is a link to average temps in Abu Dhabi. In Fahrenheit.

Don’t forget to factor in humidity. That makes it more difficult here than in, say, Palm Springs. Where it might be 105 “but it’s a dry heat.”

Humidity does make a difference. What is astonishing for Abu Dhabi is to call up weather.com … in August … and look at the current temperature (oh, maybe 106) … and then look at “feels like” (which takes into account the humidity) … and see it tell you something like “111.”

It’s quite impressive/depressing. Daunting.

So far, we have avoided the worst of it. It was as if a switch were thrown from the moment we got off the plane, and it has been (comparitively) mild.

We really notice the heat only during the ordeals of cab-hunting. That puts you on the street, often in direct sun, and maybe for a half-hour. You do begin to wilt, then.

The rest of the time, we’re in a cocoon of air conditioning. At work. While shopping. In the apartment. The AC is just cranked up (the carbon footprint in the UAE is seven times as high, per person, as in the United States, btw), and you’re fine. Might even need a sweater, as crazy as that seems, given that outside … you’re one mile from the sun.