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From extreme summer heat to cooler breeze: UAE set to welcome Autumn
Temperatures are set to stay the same until the autumnal equinox on September 23, after which there will be a decrease accompanied by cooler winds
- PUBLISHED: Thu 4 Sept 2025, 9:12 PM UPDATED: Thu 4 Sept 2025, 10:26 PM
The UAE is set to transition from the summer to winter, with the scorching heat and temperatures expected to reduce as the Safriya season begins on Saturday, September 6.
The season officially marks the beginning of autumn, which commences after the rise of the Al Jabha' mansion (constellation), the first of the autumn mansions, leading to a gradual change in the weather.
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According to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society and member of the Arab Union for Space Sciences and Astronomy, 'Al Safri' is the first season of autumn, followed by 'Al Wasm', which extends from September 6 to October 15. It is the transitional period between the end of summer (Al Qayz) and the beginning of winter.
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From the beginning of the Safariyah month until the autumnal equinox on September 23, the heat will continue along with high humidity, leading to fog and dew in the early morning hours. Humid southeasterly winds will also become active, contributing to the formation of cumulus clouds that affect mountainous regions such as the Hajar Mountains in the UAE and Oman, and the Sarawat Mountains in southern Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The ground will feel cold at dawn, especially in waters of open ponds, as the weather begins to improve. By mid-Safriya (mid-October), temperatures will begin to drop, and the cold will be felt at dawn. The 'Akidib' winds will begin to be active, accelerating the change in the weather, in addition to the northerly winds that bring clouds from the north.
Al Jarwan said that 'Safriyyah' begins after the rising of the Suhail star, followed by the three lunar mansions: Al Jabha, Al Zubara, and Al Sarfah. It is said that the beginning of Safriyyah is the rising of Suhail, and the end of it is the rising of the star Al Samak in late October. However, according to the Durur calculation, Safriyyah is included in the first hundred of the Durur year, starting from the rising of Suhail until the end of November, and this entire period is considered 'Safri'.
The Jabha mansion consists of four bright stars crossing from south to north. The southernmost star is blue in colour with a very bright white tinge of first magnitude called Al-Malik or 'Lion's Heart'. Lunar mansions are divisions of the sky that are determined by the moon’s position as it traverses its orbit around the Earth.
'Al-Safriyyah' is derived from 'Al-Sifr', meaning the beginning or the first count. The Arabs used to call the beginning of something 'Safra' or 'Yasfar'. It was also named this because of the start of the migration season from the districts to the deserts, where the homes become empty (Yasfar) due to people's migration in search of rain and pasture.
Safriya season
The Safriya also marks the beginning of the autumn agricultural season, with actual planting beginning and seedlings and tree saplings being transferred to the permanent soil at the beginning of October. Seeds are planted in protected nurseries to protect them from the sun's rays and dry winds. The date harvesting process also begins, and fruits such as pomegranates and lemons ripen.
During this season, a number of local wild plants and trees bloom, such as the thorn of the lizard, the shaflah (the 'lasf or kabr'), the ashkhar, and the marakh, colocynth, khrit, ashraj, sidr, awsaj, qutb, and some types of acacia.
Inputs from Wam
