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Suhail star rises August 24: UAE calendar signals cooler weather ahead
The celebrated star has guided generations through seasonal changes, signalling the end of peak summer heat even as science shows it is a remarkably reliable natural calendar
- PUBLISHED: Wed 12 Aug 2026, 6:00 AM
The Suhail star is expected to rise in UAE skies on August 24, an event that has been celebrated for generations as a sign that the worst of the summer heat is over.
Its arrival is particularly anticipated after another scorching UAE summer in which temperatures have crossed 50°C. Ibrahim Al Jarwan, chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society, said Suhail's appearance marks the beginning of a roughly 40-day transitional period known as Sufriya, during which the country gradually moves away from the most intense summer heat.
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There is even an old Arab saying associated with its appearance: "If Suhail rises, the night cools down."
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But how accurate is the belief? Can the appearance of a star really tell UAE residents that cooler weather is on the way?
Does Suhail actually make temperatures fall?
No. The star has no physical role in cooling the UAE.
Suhail, known internationally as Canopus, is about 300 light-years from Earth. Its appearance cannot alter temperatures, winds, humidity or any other element of the Earth's weather. Professor Hamid Al Naimiy, general director of the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology, has previously said Suhail has "absolutely nothing to do" with changes in weather, although its appearance coincides with the beginning of seasonal change.
In effect, Suhail acts like a natural calendar in the sky. It does not make summer end. It appears at roughly the time summer is beginning to loosen its grip.
Does UAE suddenly become cooler after Suhail rises?
Residents should not expect to wake up on August 25 to dramatically cooler weather.
Al Jarwan has previously likened the process to a cooking pot that remains hot after the flame beneath it is switched off. The intensity of the heating may have begun to decrease, but the stored heat remains.
This is why temperatures can remain high through September even after Suhail has appeared.
The changes are traditionally noticed first at night. The Arab saying about Suhail specifically says the night cools, rather than suggesting that summer temperatures disappear completely.
After Suhail appears, the UAE enters the Sufriya transitional period of about 40 days. Weather conditions can fluctuate during this period before becoming more settled from around the middle of October with the arrival of the traditional Wasm season. Winter comes considerably later.
Why could people predict seasons from a star?
Because the stars provided something the weather itself could not: regularity.
A spell of rain might arrive earlier one year and later the next. Temperatures fluctuate and winds change. But the apparent seasonal movements of prominent stars repeat with extraordinary predictability.
Over generations, communities could therefore observe that when a particular star appeared at dawn, certain changes normally followed.
Suhail became one of the most important of these celestial markers across Arabia.
Academic research on traditional Arabian systems shows just how deeply stellar observations were connected to the seasons.
Suhail was UAE's weather app, calendar and farming guide
In the UAE, Suhail became closely connected with the traditional astronomical calendar known as Al Duroor.
The ancient system divides the year into 36 periods of ten days, with each period associated with astronomical and climatic conditions. It allowed people to identify suitable periods for planting and harvesting, expected winds and rain, fishing and fish-breeding seasons, and the migration of wild and sea birds.
The calculations of Al Duroor are linked to the rise of Suhail.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre has even formed a specialised committee to monitor and document the star because of its importance to the traditional calendar, as well as to astronomy and meteorology. Its work has involved bodies including the National Centre of Meteorology, Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology, Emirates Astronomy Society and International Astronomical Centre.
The tradition remains actively preserved today. The centre's more recent Duroor and Tawali' publication records seasonal cycles, stellar risings, prevailing winds, maritime conditions, lunar phases and tides, while its heritage programmes specifically include the ancestral practice of observing Suhail.
Before modern forecasts, therefore, spotting Suhail was not simply a cultural celebration. It helped people decide what to do next.
Farmers could use celestial calendars to time cultivation. Fishermen and sailors could relate stars to changing sea conditions and seasons. People travelling across the land could identify appropriate periods for journeys and grazing.
Its arrival was also associated with the agricultural cycle, the date harvest, and preparations for falconry and the migration of birds of prey.
Modern meteorology can measure weather transitions using satellites, weather stations and computer models.
The UAE's ancestors simply looked up.
As Associate Editor, Sahim Salim helps tell the UAE story like no one else does — and leads a team of reporters that asks the questions to get news and headlines that matter.