Dubai and Abu Dhabi weather: Thick fog engulfs UAE as temperatures drop

There will be lows of 24°C and highs of 34°C in Abu Dhabi and Dubai today

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  Traffic alerts called for motorists to exercise caution on the roads back in February. All photos: Khushnam Bhandari / The National

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  Thick fog had descended on Dubai.

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  Visibility on the roads was poor, making driving conditions difficult.

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  Traffic slowed, causing long delays.

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  As the sun began to rise, the fog started to clear.

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  Visibility began to improve.

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  Traffic began to ease and revert to its normal flow.

A thick blanket of fog engulfed the UAE overnight, forcing police to reduce speed limits on several motorways.

The misty weather extended almost across the entire country.

Forecasters at the National Centre of Meteorology issued an alert and speed limits were reduced to 80kph as visibility fell below 1,000 metres.

The traffic rule, introduced in Abu Dhabi in 2019, means speed limits are capped whenever visibility is poor. Heavy vehicles are also suspended from driving during bouts of bad weather.

The fog is expected to lift by 9am, leaving a fair to partly cloudy.

Temperatures will fall slightly, reaching a high of 34°C in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Winds will be light to moderate.

The sea will be slight to moderate in the Arabian Gulf and slight in Oman Sea.

Humidity will rise again overnight, raising the risk of fog or mist forming over some coastal and internal areas on Wednesday and again on Thursday and Friday.

Fog is common at this time of the year as the seasons change.