Morning fog, high humidity and late-summer heat are a normal part of the seasonal switch

If the humidity and heat over the past few days have had you confused, you aren’t alone. Although it’s officially autumn, the UAE is still experiencing high temperatures and humidity. There’s a good reason you keep waking to misted windows and fog advisories, and it has everything to do with how the season changes here.

As the long summer fades, the sea stays warm and the nights stretch a little longer. Moist air drifts inland after dark, humidity climbs, and a cool layer forms near the ground. When that damp air meets slightly cooler surfaces just before dawn, fog blooms across coastal and internal areas. It often sticks around until the sun has enough power to warm the lower atmosphere and burn it off, typically after about 8am. That is why commutes have felt like driving through cotton and school runs have come with low-visibility warnings.

The National Centre of Meteorology has flagged exactly this pattern all week. Relative humidity has been peaking overnight and into the early morning, especially along the coast and over interior corridors that collect moisture. Readings have climbed towards 90 per cent in places, which is why the air has felt heavy even when the thermometer is not at its summer extremes. As the day unfolds, light winds and sun take over, the fog lifts, and we settle into fair to partly cloudy afternoons before the cycle resets again after sunset.

So when does the switch finally feel like a switch? Gradually. We’re in a shoulder period where nights cool first, then daytime highs start to edge down. Until the sea gives up more of its summer heat, you can expect more mornings with patchy fog or mist and evenings that feel muggy before the breeze turns kind. In short, the season is changing on schedule, just not on social media’s timeline.

For now, plan on slower early drives, leave extra space on the roads, and treat sunrise runs as a maybe. The payoff is close, though, because clearer mornings, drier air, and that first al fresco breakfast that reminds you why everyone waits for October is around the corner.