UAE: Rapid weather changes, instability expected until May, expert says

In an interview with Khaleej Times, Dr Ahmed Habib, a meteorologist, at the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) said, “As we transition from the end of the current weather season into spring, rapid weather changes are a defining characteristic. During March, April, and the first half of May, conditions frequently shift between stability and instability — fluctuating between hot, cold, windy, and dusty weather, as well as rain and fog.”

Today’s weather in the UAE is expected to be fair to partly cloudy, with cloud formation anticipated in the eastern regions by the afternoon.

Mild conditions will persist throughout the day, accompanied by light to moderate winds blowing from the southwest to northwest.

The veteran weatherman added, “On Sunday also we experienced fog, followed by scattered rainfall across the country on Monday. Light rain was observed in Fujairah, Liwa, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, and Ajman, with no heavy rainfall recorded.”

Why is there fog after rain?

Elaborating on the reasons for these shifting weather changes, Habib added, “These weather patterns are influenced by an extension of low pressure from the Red Sea, combined with a cold air mass in the upper layers, which helps form clouds over the UAE.”

Fog is essentially a cloud that forms close to the ground. This typically occurs after rainfall when there is a high concentration of water vapor in the air.

As the ground cools, the air near it also cools. Cooler air holds less water vapour, causing excess moisture to condense into tiny cloud droplets, which appear as fog.

However, the veteran meteorologist pointed out that over the next 10 days, more climatic changes are expected.

“From March 21, we will see a noticeable shift, with Eid officially occurring in spring. Rainfall will subside, and winds will shift between north westerly and south westerly, while the temperature will gradually rise. Coastal areas will see temperatures between 31-36°C, while inland areas may reach up to 35°C. The sea is expected to remain slight to moderate until March 22, after which weather conditions will change again.”

Last year, intense storms hit the UAE bringing the heaviest rainfall the country has ever recorded, with Dubai receiving over 142 milimetres of rain in just 24 hours.

Habib added, “In 2024 the country witnessed exceptional heavy rainfall, whereas this year has been relatively weak, with only light to moderate rain. Based on my current observations, looking forward, this year’s temperatures are not expected to be excessively high on average.”