Kuwait City. The Gulf desert state of Kuwait, where heat is a way of life, has kicked off the summer season early with the highest recorded April temperature in 45 years. At Kuwait International Airport the mercury climbed to 46°Celsius (114 Fahrenheit) on Sunday.

Temperatures reached heatwave proportions due to "abnormal south-westerly winds blowing hot across the Arabian peninsula," local meteorologist Issa Ramadan told Arab Times.

Already a roasting 13 degC above the average for the time of year, the weather is expected to ease slightly Monday with a change in wind direction. Further down the Gulf in the United Arab Emirates, temperatures are set to rise to 42°C (108F) this week.

Local meteorologists are predicting Kuwait will witness a hotter than usual summer this year. Shade temperatures last August hit a scorching 50.7°C (123.3F), nudging the all-time record high of 51.3°C (124.3 F).

Winters in the emirate average 18°C (64F) and annual rainfall varies between 22 and 300 millimetres (from less than an inch to 12 inches).