Warmer days are beginning to edge back into the UAE after a stretch of relatively mild months, prompting renewed attention on how the country marks the close of winter.
From an astronomical standpoint, winter does not end based on temperature alone. Local astronomers instead track a seasonal period known as Scorpion Season, the final segment of winter in the UAE’s traditional astronomical calendar.
This phase is set to start on Wednesday, February 4, and will conclude on Friday, March 20. Its completion signals the official transition from winter to spring in astronomical terms.
Scorpion Season is widely regarded by astronomers as the last marker before seasonal conditions begin to shift more noticeably across the country, with longer daylight hours and steadily increasing heat following its end.
Seasonal changes in the UAE are not determined by fixed calendar dates. Instead, they are guided by observational astronomy, a system that has long been used in the region to identify natural cycles.
The same reliance on moon sightings that helps determine the timing of Islamic months and public holidays also plays a role in defining seasonal boundaries, anchoring these transitions to observable celestial events rather than meteorological patterns.
