There may be little chance of a white Christmas in the Emirates – this year, or ever – but people are wrapping up as the weather gets chilly.
The temperature across the country has dropped to single digits on some early mornings, though the mercury remains well above 20ºC in the middle of the day.
Conditions reach their coolest in January before the steady climb towards the summer begins.
Clothing shops have stocked up on coats, jackets, hoodies and warm loungewear to meet growing demand.
Noureen Pecson, who works in sales at Brands for Less at Ibn Batutta Mall in Dubai, said the shop has dedicated an entire section to winter clothing.
“It’s what is popular right now. A lot of people are buying winter clothes because it’s getting colder here and some are travelling abroad, too,” she said.
“We have coats, jumpers, sweaters and sweatshirts that are all very popular with customers. They are selling fast.”
This week the weather has been partly cloudy, with mist appearing over some western areas.
Rosan Sedhain, a cashier at Max Fashion in Dubai's Mirdif City Centre, said that they have a new winter collection and it is “selling quickly”.
“What is selling most are the long coats and hoodies. In the children’s section, the hoodies with characters on them are also popular among customers,” he said.
“It is getting cooler here and some people also go to Fujairah or Al Ain, where it’s really cold. People also like going to the desert and spend the night there.”
UAE's wildest weather ever - in pictures
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People run for cover during the March 9, 2016 storm in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, when strong winds and driving rain caused chaos across the UAE. Christopher Pike / The National -
City streets were inundated with water, such as here on 8th Street in Abu Dhabi. Antonie Robertson / The National -
While the rain and winds caused major damage they brought smiles of glee for some of the younger residents of Abu Dhabi. Delores Johnson / The National -
The sky darkened from early on March 9, 2016. The view from Abu Dhabi's main bus station is of murky skies. Jonathan Raymond / The National -
However, storms have always been a feature of the weather here, such as this squall on Abu Dhabi's Corniche taken at some point between 1962 and 1964. Photo: David Riley -
Flooding is seen in Fujairah following heavy rainfall. Photo: Storm Centre UAE -
Floodwater often inundated Abu Dhabi island during the 1960s as defences had yet to be built. Photo: David Riley -
A huge storm that swept through the region in 1963 left the Sharjah Airbase flooded, as this photograph shows. Photo: Vic Cozens -
Snow can also be common in the winter. Snowmen are often built, such as this one in Jebel Jais in January, 2020. Photo: Ahmed Al Bedwawi -
Snow also fell on Jebel Jais mountain in Ras al Khaimah in January and December 2017. Photo: Mike Charlton -
Most of Jebel Jais was blanketed in a pristine layer of snow. Photo: Ahmed Al Bedwawi -
Dense fog is also common in the mountains, as this 2015 shot from Jebel Jais shows. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National -
Fog and mist cover the Burj Al Arab. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Early morning fog in Discovery Gardens, Dubai in April, 2020. Pawan Singh / The National -
Dense fog is common during winter, reducing visibility on the roads. Pawan Singh / The National -
Dubai Media City enveloped in fog. Pawan Singh / The National -
Dust storms are also common, causing havoc on the roads such as this one from March, 2017 in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
A lightening strike in Umm Al Quwain. Photo: Storm Centre UAE -
Another dust storm from 2018. Antonie Robertson / The National -
A dust storm passes by the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Fujairah, April, 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Rain storms can cause the most chaos, however, as the March 2016 one did. A construction barrier fell onto parked cars in Abu Dhabi. AFP -
Trees were uprooted on 29th Street in Abu Dhabi during the same storm. Ravindranath K / The National
