Strong winds could sweep across the UAE over the next few days, whipping up dust and sandstorms.
The National Centre of Meteorology on Wednesday said north-westerly winds could reach speeds of 65 kilometres per hour, cutting visibility and churning up the Arabian Gulf.
The change in the weather has started already with the NCM placing a warning for Wednesday, with waves of up to three metres expected in the waters off the UAE.
The unsettled conditions could persist until the weekend and people were warned to also expect a "significant decrease in temperatures".
"It will be dusty and partly cloudy," the NCM said for its Thursday forecast, "with a significant decrease in temperatures."
"The sea will be very rough in the Arabian Gulf and moderate to rough in Oman Sea."
Abu Dhabi Police also urged drivers to be cautious due to low visibility brought on by high winds and dust.
It cautioned motorists not to take videos or use phones while driving.
The warning follows a mini-heatwave that reached a peak last weekend with temperatures hitting more than 40°C.
They have since fallen back by several degrees but the mercury could still reach highs of around 38°C on Wednesday with lows of 17°C.
How dust travels from the Sahara desert to the Alps - in pictures
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Skiers wearing protective face mask ski as Sahara sand colours the snow and the sky in a yellow cast and creates a special light atmosphere, in the Alpine resort of Anzere, Switzerland. EPA -
Snowkiters sliding on snow covered with sand at Col du Lautaret mountain pass in Serre Chevalier, a major ski resort in Southeastern France. Reuters -
Bavaria, Garmisch-Partenkirchen: The sky above the mountains in the Wetterstein range is clouded by the Sahara sand in the air. Getty Images -
Ski slopes are covered with Sahara sand in the tiny Andorra principality in the Pyrenees mountains. Reuters -
Skiers wearing protective face masks sit on a chairlift as Sahara sand colours the snow and the sky in a yellow cast and creates a special light atmosphere, in the Alpine resort of Anzere, Switzerland. EPA -
Sahara dust makes the sky misty as skiers rest on the terrace of a restaurant beside a piste at the Corviglia ski area in the Alpine resort of St. Moritz, Switzerland. Reuters -
Tourists ride an ATV along the sand dunes at just before sunset in Erg Chebbi desert near the small Moroccan village of Merzouga in the Sahara Desert. Reuters -
Dr Diana Francis said snow melt can be expected to occur more frequently under global warming.
