UAE fog season typically runs from September to March, with December and January seeing the most fog, NCM-linked climate data shows.
Dubai: Summer in the UAE may not be completely over, but weather patterns are already beginning to shift towards the conditions that typically bring fog back to the roads.
The UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) issued a fog alert for September 2, 2026, from 1am to 8:30am, warning of reduced horizontal visibility in some coastal and inland areas.
According to the NCM, relative humidity is expected to rise to around 90 per cent overnight across both coastal and inland areas as September begins, creating conditions favourable for fog or mist to form in some areas overnight and during the early morning.
For Wednesday, September 2, the NCM forecasts fair to partly cloudy skies, with a chance of convective clouds developing over eastern areas in the afternoon. Temperatures are expected to remain high, with daytime highs reaching the low to mid-40s Celsius in inland areas.
Temperatures are easing only gradually, but moisture levels are not. That combination — hot days followed by increasingly humid nights — creates the conditions needed for fog to develop at this time of year.
The science behind September fog
Fog forming in a desert climate may seem surprising, but the process is well understood. During the evening, warm, moisture-laden air moves in from the Arabian Gulf and Arabian Sea. After sunset, the desert surface rapidly loses heat through radiative cooling, causing the air close to the ground to cool as well.
Once that air reaches saturation, water vapour condenses into countless tiny droplets that remain suspended near the surface. Meteorologists refer to this as radiation fog, which accounts for around 95 per cent of all fog recorded in the UAE.
Wind speed also plays an important role. Research based on data from Abu Dhabi International Airport shows that a light breeze of around five knots can actually help fog form and settle. Stronger winds, however, tend to disperse the moisture and break up the fog before it can thicken.
Another key ingredient is dust. Fine sand and dust particles suspended in the atmosphere act as condensation nuclei, providing surfaces for water vapour to cling to as it condenses into droplets. Without sufficient dust in the air, much of the UAE’s fog may not form.
Emirati astronomer Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society, has linked the current spell to the seasonal calendar rather than anything unusual. He noted that August and September typically bring high humidity levels as the peak summer season begins to ease.
That lines up with a much older seasonal tradition. The UAE entered what is known as the Suhail season on August 24, a date associated with the star Canopus becoming visible before dawn and traditionally marking the gradual retreat of summer heat across the Arabian Peninsula.
The change is gradual rather than immediate. Temperatures remain high, but humidity becomes more noticeable, while early-morning fog and dew become increasingly common in the weeks that follow.
Why humidity is the deciding factor
During fog season, NCM weather bulletins frequently focus on one key measure: relative humidity. That is no coincidence. Humidity — and, more specifically, the gap between air temperature and the dew point — largely determines whether fog will form on a given night.
The dew point is the temperature at which air becomes fully saturated with moisture. When the overnight air temperature falls to the dew point, water vapour begins to condense into tiny droplets. The smaller the gap between the two, the greater the potential for fog.
In early September, the Arabian Gulf is still retaining the heat of summer, driving evaporation and keeping the lower atmosphere moisture-rich. Sea breezes carry this humid air inland during the day. After nightfall, calmer winds allow the desert surface to cool rapidly, bringing the air temperature closer to its already-high dew point. Once the two meet, conditions become favourable for fog to form.
This is why a forecast of around 90 per cent humidity can serve as an informal fog warning, even when daytime temperatures are still reaching 45°C.
Where fog is most likely to form
Fog does not form evenly across the UAE. Instead, it tends to develop in specific areas, largely shaped by local geography and overnight cooling patterns.
Researchers at Khalifa University’s Environmental and Geophysical Sciences Lab have identified the Sweihan desert and areas southwest of Abu Dhabi as two of the UAE’s main fog-formation zones. Open desert surfaces in these areas can lose heat rapidly overnight, allowing the air near the ground to reach saturation more easily.
Fog often develops in these areas first before spreading to surrounding locations, depending on wind, humidity and temperature conditions.
Historical NCM records show that during one such event, fog spread across Sweihan in Al Ain, Al Fayah in Abu Dhabi, Madinat Zayed, Ghayathi and Liwa in the Al Dhafra region. It also affected major routes including the Abu Dhabi–Al Ain and Al Ain–Dubai roads, Al Maktoum International Airport, the Ghantoot road, and areas such as Jebel Ali, Al Minhad and Saih Al Salam in Dubai. In Sharjah, fog was reported along the Mleiha road, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road.
Al Dhafra, in particular, features repeatedly in NCM fog alerts, with fog reported across its coastal and western areas on multiple occasions, prompting red and yellow warnings.
For commuters, the practical picture is clear: open desert corridors linking Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai, along with areas of Al Dhafra and low-lying inter-emirate highways, carry a higher risk of dense fog. Coastal urban areas, including parts of Dubai and Sharjah, are not immune, as several mornings this year have demonstrated. However, visibility can deteriorate more rapidly and remain poor for longer along exposed desert stretches.
How authorities respond when visibility drops
The UAE’s response to deteriorating visibility is rapid and, in some areas, automated. The NCM uses a colour-coded alert system to communicate the severity of weather conditions. A yellow alert advises residents to remain aware and drive with caution, while an orange alert indicates a need for greater preparedness. A red alert signals conditions posing an extreme danger.
These warnings can also be sent directly to residents’ mobile phones through the national early warning system, operated in coordination with the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.
Traffic authorities across the emirates follow a similar approach. During dense fog, Abu Dhabi Police, Dubai Police, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Sharjah Police issue public advisories, warning motorists to expect delays, use headlights and avoid sudden lane changes in poor visibility.
NCM guidance for driving in thick fog
The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has a standing set of safety recommendations for motorists during periods of thick fog, published on its website. The key advice includes:
- Stay informed: Monitor official weather bulletins and licensed media for changing conditions rather than relying on familiarity with a regular route.
- Drive with extreme caution: Take extra care in areas of poor visibility and follow any instructions issued for fog-affected roads during the early morning.
- Stop only when it is safe: If conditions become too dangerous to continue, pull over at a safe location away from moving traffic rather than stopping on the road.
- Increase your following distance: Leave a generous gap between your vehicle and the one ahead and reduce your speed when entering a foggy stretch.
- Avoid unnecessary overtaking: Do not overtake the vehicle in front unless it is genuinely necessary.
- Avoid the leftmost lane: Keep out of the leftmost lane, which is designated for traffic travelling at the posted speed limit.
- Use hazard lights only when necessary: If you need to stop, move to a genuinely safe location away from traffic and activate your hazard lights. Otherwise, use low-beam headlights rather than hazard lights while driving in fog.
Concentrate solely on the road ahead and use lane markings and road lines as a guide when visibility is reduced. Do not immediately return to normal speed when the fog appears to clear, as visibility can deteriorate again without warning. Parents are also advised to postpone outdoor trips with children during periods of poor weather.
Drivers should stay updated on local weather conditions and avoid using their phones altogether while driving in fog.
What the rest of September is likely to bring
Forecasts through late August and the first days of September have followed a broadly consistent pattern: hot, mostly fair days, with convective clouds developing over eastern and southern areas during the afternoon and a chance of occasional rain. After dark, humidity rises, bringing renewed potential for fog or mist to develop along coastal and inland areas before sunrise.
The NCM expects temperatures to ease gradually as September progresses, but that does not necessarily mean fog will become less common. Cooler nights over ground that still retains the moisture accumulated during summer can bring air temperatures closer to the dew point, creating more favourable conditions for fog.
For motorists regularly travelling between Abu Dhabi and Dubai or Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, the advice for the coming weeks is straightforward: check the NCM forecast before setting out early and allow extra time for journeys beginning before 9am.
