With the start of autumn, cooler mornings are gradually being felt across the UAE, with temperatures dropping below 20°C in some areas.

According to the UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology, the country’s lowest temperature on Monday, September 28, was 18.6°C, recorded in Raknah, Al Ain, at 6am.

The drop coincides with the first signs of the changing season. Astronomically, summer officially ended with the autumn equinox on September 23, marking the beginning of a gradual shift towards cooler weather.

The UAE experienced a similar drop earlier in the month, when temperatures fell to 18.8°C on September 18, just days before the autumn equinox.

Temperatures are expected to fall further as autumn progresses, although the change will be gradual.

At the start of the season, average highs may reach 39°C, with lows of around 26°C. By mid-autumn, in early November, highs are expected to fall to about 31°C and lows to 18°C. By the end of the season, highs are forecast to drop to around 25°C and lows to 13°C, coinciding with the winter solstice on December 22.

The changing temperatures will also bring another familiar feature of the UAE’s cooler months: an increased likelihood of morning fog, particularly during the first half of autumn. Humidity levels are also expected to rise during this period.

For UAE residents, the gradual decline in temperatures signals the approach of winter. However, autumn will still begin with relatively warm days, with noticeably cooler weather arriving later in the season.

Rainfall Likely to Increase from October

As the UAE enters its cooler and wetter season, rainfall from October to January could be above average.

Ahmed Habib, a meteorologist at the UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology, said some forecasting models indicate that rainfall in October, November and through January could be higher than usual. However, it is not yet possible to determine exact rainfall levels with certainty.

His comments come amid growing attention to El Niño this year. El Niño is a climate pattern associated with unusually warm surface waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and can affect weather patterns around the world.

However, the occurrence of El Niño does not necessarily mean that a particular country will experience severe weather.