The UAE is set to experience fog, light rain and cold weather this week, the National Centre for Meteorology said.
“Occasional active winds and chances of fog formation and light rainfall over some areas” will be a feature throughout the week, it said. The conditions are expected to last until Friday, February 6.
On Tuesday, the weather will remain humid, with a probability of fog or light mist formation over some internal and coastal areas. These conditions will remain largely the same on Wednesday, with clouds appearing at times over northern and eastern areas and a chance of light rain.
On Thursday, the weather will be humid and partly cloudy, with a chance of rain, alongside a decrease in temperatures over some coastal western areas. Friday’s forecast indicates an end to the wet weather, but conditions are expected to remain cloudy and humid.
Temperatures throughout the week are expected to remain relatively steady, with highs of 30°C and lows of 11°C in Dubai and highs of 30°C and lows of 14°C in Abu Dhabi.
The forecast follows a red weather warning issued on Monday, when heavy fog blanketed much of the Emirates, with Abu Dhabi particularly badly affected.
How common is rain in the UAE?
The UAE often receives fewer than 100mm of rain annually, with this figure falling to only 39.4mm in 2021 and 51.5mm in 2023.
An exception occurred in 2024, due to unprecedented April storms that caused flooding across much of the country.
The UAE experienced its largest day of rain in 75 years on April 16, 2024. In Al Ain alone, 254mm fell, the equivalent of two years' average rainfall.
In future, the UAE is expected to be better able to cope with extreme downpours because drainage infrastructure has improved. After the April floods, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, approved the Dh30 billion ($8.16 billion) Tasreef programme, which is intended to improve drainage capacity in the emirate by 700 per cent.
Parts of the initiative have been completed, including a Dh277 million sewerage and floodwater drainage network stretching 24km. Sharjah is also planning to improve its drainage network, with hundreds of millions of dirhams of spending announced in 2024.
