Is UAE summer heat over? Weather starts cooling today as autumn brings falling temperatures

Dubai: The UAE entered meteorological autumn on Tuesday, September 1, marking the end of the summer season under the climate calendar and the beginning of a gradual decline in temperatures over the coming months.

Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society and member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, said meteorological autumn in the Northern Hemisphere begins on September 1 and runs until the end of November.

Meteorological seasons are based primarily on typical monthly temperature patterns and are aligned with the calendar months used for climate reporting.

The shift does not, however, mark the start of astronomical autumn, which will begin in the UAE on September 23, when the autumnal equinox occurs and the Sun crosses the celestial equator from north to south. The 2026 equinox is due at about 4.05am UAE time.

Al Jarwan said September typically brings a noticeable easing of the summer heat. After daytime highs remained at around 42°C or above during much of the summer, temperatures on most days in September are expected to fall below 39°C, while overnight lows are expected to drop below 27°C.

Will the fog return this month?

Motorists should expect it. The National Centre of Meteorology has flagged the possibility of fog or mist over parts of the coast and interior overnight and into the early hours of Wednesday, with night-time humidity approaching 90 per cent in both coastal and inland districts. Drivers have been advised to slow down, since visibility on the roads can drop sharply with little warning.

September also marks the start of the UAE's fog season, which typically runs through to March and peaks in the depths of winter. The fog that forms here is almost always radiation fog, which develops when the ground loses heat overnight, moist air drifts in off the Gulf, and a temperature inversion traps it close to the surface.

As nights lengthen and pre-dawn temperatures continue to ease through autumn, those conditions become steadily more common, and morning fog alerts tend to grow more frequent from October onwards.

The cooling trend is expected to become more pronounced in October, when highs on most days could fall below 35°C and lows below 22°C. By November, daytime temperatures are expected to be below 30°C on most days, with overnight readings falling below 18°C, Al Jarwan said.

By the end of meteorological autumn, temperatures across the country could generally fall below 26°C during the day and 15°C at night, marking a substantial change from the intense heat that characterised the summer months.

The distinction between meteorological and astronomical seasons allows climate agencies to compare temperatures and weather data across fixed three-month periods, while astronomical seasons are determined by the Earth's position in relation to the Sun and the timing of the solstices and equinoxes.