UAE: Cold nights ahead as temperatures dip significantly this month, says top official

The temperatures in the UAE are set to drop by three to four degrees, with the change becoming noticeable by October 15, especially affecting both nighttime and early morning weather conditions.

This is according to Dr Ahmed Habib from the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) who on Monday told Khaleej Times, “The temperature will dip by three to four degrees this month with the night being cold. This will start happening by mid-October when people will start noticing a change in weather both during the night and early in the mornings.”

October is one of the second transitional period months between summer and winter, with the period usually characterised by sharp and rapid changes in weather conditions.

“During this month temperatures begin to decrease significantly especially during the second half of this month compared to September. Southeasterly winds prevail during late nights and mornings, becoming northwesterly during afternoons and evenings due to the effect of the land/sea breeze circulation,” he added.

High relative humidity

In October, relative humidity is usually high in the early morning, gradually decreasing as the sun appears, then increasing again after sunset.

Mean relative humidity reaches approximately 51 per cent with more chances of fog formation especially during mid-nights and early morning periods.

“The frequency of fog or mist will increase this month with relative humidity increase over the land. So, there is a high chance of fog formation. If you are affected by unstable weather conditions, it will be windy, and the country may experience rainfall. It depends on the pressure system affecting the in-surface and upper layers,” said the senior veteran meteorologist.

Not winter yet

Explaining further, the phenomenon of the autumn temperature transition between summer heat and winter cold where the weather gets better, he added,

“We are still in the autumn season. The temperature at night will start coming down and some people may feel relatively cold, but it does not mean winter. During the autumn season, the change is characterized by stability into quick instability in weather conditions. The scenario changes very fast. For example, today could be stable but the next day or on the same day by afternoon or evening, one can be affected by instability over the area. When such sporadic changes start happening that indicates the second transitional period months.”

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