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Weather in Dubai, UAE

Weather forecast in Dubai, UAE today and tomorrow is hot and sunny (usually). Temperature and climate forecasts for Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah RAK, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain UAQ, Al Ain, East Coast. Rain, snow, and sandstorms are rare. Wind is occasional. Sunshine is common. Short-range and long-range forecasts are about the same. Seasonal weather and climate information for Summer, Autumn, Fall, Winter, Spring in the UAE.

Weather forecast for Dubai today, tomorrow, short-range, long-range

Today the weather is hot and sunny (except at night when it's hot and dark). Weather forecast for tomorrow is hot and sunny.

• The UAE has a hot sunny climate, generally dry as in little rainfall but with high humidity levels at times making residents and visitors wet. Which means predicting the weather is relatively easy, so the above forecast will be correct most of the time.
• Occasionally there is rain, more frequently days which are windy, and very rarely snow on the mountain tops in the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) area as in once a decade or so.
• One of the great things about living in Dubai is being able to plan an outdoor activity and not have to worry too much about the possibility of the "rain stopped play" factor. It does happen sometimes but for 360 days a year or so (our guess, not a statistically backed up number), it'll be either warm and sunny, hot and sunny, sauna and sunny, or oven and sunny.

Shamals, Shamal wind, prevailing wind in Dubai

• Shamals are often referred to when referring to Dubai weather. A Shamal is the name given to a strong wind that blows for a period of time - usually one or two days but sometimes longer, and is not usually intended to mean the daily afternoon prevailing ocean breeze that blows off the sea onto land.
• The prevailing wind in Dubai is from a north-west direction but Shamals can come from any direction. Even the afternoon sea-breeze is sometimes referred to as the afternoon Shamal.

Annual climate in Dubai, UAE

• Summer (Jun, July, Aug) - very hot, very sunny, longer daylight periods about 0500 to 1930, often humid to very humid, dusty hazy atmosphere, occasional windy days with blowing sand. Temperatures of 40-50 degrees Celcius daytime, 35-45 at night. Too hot to realistically do anything outside during the day, and very uncomfortable at night especially when it's humid. June is a better month to be in Dubai than July or August which are more humid, and if humidity is low then June at night and very early mornings can still be tolerable outside.
• Autumn (Sep, Oct, Nov) - still too hot to be outside during the day in September. October can be variable from tolerable to too hot, especially if humid. Occasionally foggy mornings, can be quite thick, dangerous for traffic especially with the level of ignorance prevalent amongst many UAE drivers about how to use fog lights and hazard lights.
• Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb) - excellent sunny weather and temperatures during the day, sometimes cool enough at night to feel cold if wearing t-shirt and shorts or equivalent. Some residents take to wearing gloves and hats when temperatures fall below 20 degrees Celcius. Daytime temperatures from 15-25, night time 10-20. Occasional storms with heavy rain and/or wind. Occasional meaning some years it rains heavily for a few days, some years it doesn't, not meaning several storms per year. Daylight hours from about 0700-1730.
• Spring (Mar, Apr, May) - excellent sunny weather but getting hot during the day through May, usually still tolerable though because humidity levels are still relatively low. Fog becomes a problem again sometimes.

Summer months in Dubai - June July August

Car interiors can reach over 60 degrees centigrade if parked in the sun (we checked - the thermometer we used maxed out at 60 and broke). Children and animals will die quickly if locked in a parked car in the sun, and die a bit more slowly if car is parked in the shade. The time frame is minutes, not hours. Adults will die too but they are usually able to figure out how to unlock a car door before they do. Babies and animals don't. This is not a joke, it happens, sometimes several times a year, and leaving the window open a bit for air to circulate makes very little difference. Leaving a motor running with the airconditioning on prevents the temperature rising but this is risky business - the a/c unit might not work as well when a car is idling, if the engine stalls then the temperature will rise quickly, and it is illegal (as far as we know) to leave a car motor running when it is unattended (children and animals don't count as being in control of a parked motor vehicle). Note that the a/c doesn't work if the engine is not running, even if the ignition key is on and the fan motor is blowing - some people don't seem to know this.

• Daytime temperatures range from 30-45 degrees C (F), extremes of up to 50 C are not uncommon and occasionally the hottest days will be a little over 50 C.
• Humidity is sometimes close to 100%, especially in late afternoons/early evenings, although these are not the most humid months in Dubai.
• It's unpleasant to be outside for any length of time at during most parts of the day. Very early in the mornings from about 0400 to 0700 it can be tolerable.
• The ocean water temperature is similar to body temperature ie 34-37 C and not at all refreshing. The salt concentration increases substantially also.
• Swimming pools will be hot unless temperature controlled - test the water before jumping in. You won't burn yourself but you'll get a fright.
• Almost all residents will have airconditioning on full time in their homes. Hot and cold water taps will perform the opposite functions (most will have switched off water heating in May or June for bathroom use, some leave it on for kitchen use).
• Occasional dust and sandstorms appear with visibility reduced to similar levels encountered in fog.
• Rain is almost nonexistent.
• Sunrise is around 0500-0530 and sunset from 1900-1930.

Autumn or Fall months in Dubai - September October November

• September climate is similar to the summer months although the temperatures are a few degrees less. Humidity is often higher than in the summer - again, worst times are late afternoon/early evening but often all day. Mornings up until 1000 or 1100 can be pleasant outdoors, same for evenings after about 1800 if there's less humidity. Morning fog occasionally appears but usually burns off quite quickly once the sun rises.
• Water temperature in the ocean starts to become more tolerable, although still over 30 degrees celcius until November.
• Extremely rare to have any rain.
• October and November is when weather becomes much more comfortable for outdoor activities with lots of sunshine and pleasant mornings and evenings.
• Strong winds (Shamals) sometimes come through in November - strong enough to take down trees and signs, and make sea conditions dangerous.
• Sunrise from 0530 to 0630 and sunset from 1800-1900.

Winter months in Dubai - December January February

• Generally the best time of year to enjoy the outdoors with clear skies, lots of sunshine.
• Sun rises between 0630 and 0700 and sets between 1730 and 1800.
• Evening and night time temperatures can be coolish - extra clothing is sometimes needed - with temperatures down to 10-15 C, especially in January.
• Further inland in the desert or in the mountainous regions, temperatures can go well below 10 degrees C.
• Daytime temperatures are 25-30 degrees Celcius, a bit less in January if it's cloudy or raining.
• Occasional storms bring rain, lightning, thunder, wind, hail. Rare to have rain for any extended period more than a day or two. 1999 and 1995 are two years when it did rain for a week or two. Hailstones can be big enough to damage cars but this is very unusual.
• Sea water temperature is 20-25 degrees centigrade and refreshing, salt concentration is much less than in summer.
• Swimming pools, unless heated, will be chilly or refreshing depending on the swimmer's constitution.
• In the early 2000s, a very small amount of snow fell on the top of the mountains in Ras Al Khaimah (height about 1700m). It's not known if this is what prompted the plans to build a large ski resort there.
• Very little humidity.
• Can get very thick fog in the mornings especially in January/February.

Spring months in Dubai - March April May

• These are also very enjoyable months of the year. Even in May when it starts to get warm, it's still not too unpleasant to be outside - especially in the mornings and evenings.
• Relatively little humidity except occasionally in May.
• Daytime temperatures from 25-35 degrees C.
• Night time temperatures 20-30 degrees.
• Ocean water temperature is 25-30 Celcius.
• Swimming pool temperatures will be just about right.
• Sun rises around 0530-0630 and sun sets around 1800-1900.
• March seems to be the month for the odd storm with thunder and lightning, rain, and wind. Or at least a few decent Shamals blowing through. Sometimes you'll see a sandstorm or dust storm. Iit's rare to have any rain.

Sandstorm forecasting system Dubai

• 21 Oct 2013 (WAM press release) Dubai Municipality (DM) announced the first Sandstorm Prediction System for the emirate of Dubai, officially launched on the first day of Gitex Technology Week 2013. The new forecasting system is being developed and operated by The Geodesy and Hydrographic Survey Section of Dubai Municipality in collaboration with Unique System FZE.

Prevailing wind in Dubai

• The prevailing wind in Dubai comes from the direction of Kuwait ie a north-westerly direction. When it blows strongly for more than a day it is usually referred to as a Shamal.
• Generally, early mornings in Dubai are calm or with a slight southerly wind blowing offshore. Anytime from about 1000 or 1100 onwards, the wind turns north westerly and blows onshore. Usually the Dubai prevailing wind strength is then about 5 to 10 knots.
• Often a Shamal will blow from the prevailing north westerly wind direction for a period of 1-3 days, wind strength can be 15-25 knots. Very rarely is the Dubai prevailing wind stronger than 25 knots although it has been known to go up to 30-40 knots.
• Occasionally a Shamal can blow in from the desert - from a southerly or south-easterly direction which is opposite to the prevailing wind in Dubai. When the wind is stronger than 15-20 knots, it is common to get a lot of dust and sand in the atmosphere. Very occasionally this can turn into a full blown sandstorm but it is rare for it to last more than a few hours.

Wind Towers in Dubai

• Around Dubai one will often see older houses with wind towers (Al Barjeel or Al Kashteel, in Arabic), or newer developments incorporating a Wind Tower design for aesthetic reasons (Madinat Jumeirah Souk for example).
• These towers were designed to take advantage of the prevailing winds in Dubai to force a breeze down through the tower past some wet cloths which would have a cooling effect, into the house to circulate, and back out of the other side of the wind tower. The tower would have internal partitions to separate the inflow and outflow of the air and were very effective even with just a slight breeze.
• Traditional wind towers are made out of wood or stone (canvas is possible also but rare) and built to a height of about 5 or 6 meters above the dwelling.

Burj Khalifa (Burj Dubai tower) and wind effects

• The design of the tallest tower in the world - the Burj Dubai - took into account the Dubai prevailing wind. Adrian Smith, a consulting design partner with the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP architecture firm had this to say in an interview: "We've been through three wind tunnel tests on Burj Dubai. One of the important things we learned was that the taller legs need to be on the sides of the prevailing wind rather than the front face because that sheds the vortexes more effectively. The texture of the façade and the weight distribution also affect how wind impacts the structure – for instance how much weight is at the top of the building, and where the columns are placed."
• Horizontal motion at the top of the tower due to wind effects is about

Other headings (to be updated)

• Dubai Municipality weather, coastal, atmospheric monitoring stations (WAM 21 Oct 2010): 5 coastal stations > + 8 inland stations in 2010 > + 3D weather model and 1D Fog Model > + satellite imagery and remote metrologist services available in 2012 > + new buoys, cameras, rain gauges, sandstorm monitoring systems available in 2013.
• Fog Monitoring and Forecasting System run by Dubai Municipality (DM) since 2010.
• Mission Impossible Dubai sandstorm - yes sandstorms do occur in the UAE despite some people claiming they don't. And yes they can be similar to what was protrayed in the film (photos).

Todo

• Add weather forecast best links. Local links.
• Monthly annual temperature, sunshine hours, and rainfall table.
• Annual max and min temperatures. Historical max and min temperatures. Dates with snow.

Last update Thursday 21-Nov-2013. Page development 1H 2T 3D 4L 5C.

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