Gentle weather forecasts are greeting the United Arab Emirates as they ease into a new workweek with both types of climates, being as much a postcard as it is a practical guide to the UAE’s four seasons: the UAE will experience mostly fair to partly cloudy conditions until Sunday. However, be warned! Relative humidity levels will rise after sunset, and there will likely be early morning fog patches or misty patches in low areas or near coastal regions.
According to the National Centre of Meteorology‘s forecasts for the weather, the atmosphere will be stable with southeasterly to northeasterly winds of a light or moderate force being experienced, up to 15 knots, but an increase in wind speed may occur when there is no development of winds due to a calamity developing. Both the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be concerning for those who enjoy water-related leisure activities because their calm conditions may pose risks, while this will not be good news for drivers of vehicles that require visibility due to inclement weather conditions in the morning.
Fog in the desert kingdom forms in a similar way to coastal and valley fog, through the cooling of moist air near the ground or by trapping cooler, moist air under warmer air due to a temperature inversion. This “recipe” for creating fog is best when there are calm conditions present during the night, which increases the relative humidity and allows for the development of low-lying fog that lasts until mid-morning.
Practical advice for those who are waking up to eat suhoor early for Ramadan or driving to work: you should allow yourself extra time since patchy-type fog often forms in both areas near the western shoreline and the coastal strips and usually won’t dissipate until after the temperature of the surface has risen due to the sun shining down on it. Drivers should use low-beam lights, slow down, and check the official NCM updates. If you are a photographer or someone who enjoys watching the sunrise, you will appreciate the fact that the fog provides dramatic light and depth to the horizon; be sure to dress appropriately since it will likely be damp and chilly, and choose a location where you can be safe from high volumes of traffic.
There are some things to note about the weather: high humidity overnight creating fog can indicate temporary higher air quality at the surface due to settling particles, and at the same time, calm conditions before radiational cooling overnight in mountains (which explains why places like Jebel Jais can experience temperatures below 10 degrees C while coastal cities remain warm). Regardless of whether you’re on the corniche, dunes, or interstate, you can expect a beautiful week with comfortable weather and also some morning veil produced by the atmosphere—worth enjoying, useful, and always respectful of people.
