The UAE’s autumn season began on 23 September at 4:05am, and temperatures are on a gradual descent that will continue through to the winter solstice on 22 December, according to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society and member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences.
The UAE autumn temperature forecast shows highs dropping from 39°C at the start of the season to 26°C by its close, with the sharpest cooling arriving in the final weeks before the solstice.
How the UAE autumn temperature forecast breaks down by month
At the start of the season, daytime highs sit around 39°C with lows near 26°C. In the middle of the season, around early November, highs fall to 31°C and nights drop to 18°C. By the end of autumn, as the winter solstice approaches on 22 December, daytime temperatures reach only 25°C and nights can dip to 13°C, Al Jarwan said.
Inland areas were still touching 48°C in the final days of astronomical summer just before the season turned, according to Arabian Business. The contrast with end-of-autumn lows underlines how sharply conditions shift across the season.
Humidity is expected to increase through the first half of autumn, with fog likely during early morning hours. Winter clouds are forecast to arrive in mid-October, and the probability of rain rises after the midpoint of the season.
Two calendars, one season
The September 23 start date is based on the astronomical calendar, which sets the season from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice. The meteorological calendar runs differently: under that system, meteorological summer ended on 31 August and September is already classified as the first autumn month, Arabian Business reported. Residents may encounter both systems in weather coverage; they produce different seasonal boundaries but describe the same physical conditions.
The autumnal equinox occurs astronomically when the sun is perpendicular to the equator and moves toward the south, producing roughly equal hours of daylight and darkness. A week after the equinox, night begins to lengthen at the expense of day. The length of the midday shadow in the UAE also increases progressively from that point.
Al Jarwan noted that the first half of autumn is traditionally the best period for planting across the Arabian Peninsula, when seedlings are transplanted, saplings are planted, and seeds are sown for the autumn agricultural season. He made the remarks to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
In observations published by WAM for the 2024 autumnal equinox, Al Jarwan said temperatures would begin to fall below 25°C at night and below 40°C during the day from the date of the equinox, a pattern consistent with the temperature trajectory outlined for the current season.
Mid-October marks the expected arrival of winter cloud cover, the first measurable shift in sky conditions after the dry heat of summer.
