The star Suhail, watched for generations across the Arabian Peninsula as a herald of cooler air, has already begun to appear in the pre-dawn sky. Its return, according to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomical Society, coincides with the retreat of Al Qayz — the Arabic name for the country’s most punishing stretch of heat — which he said starts loosening its grip in the final third of August.
But the calendar itself won’t turn the page on summer until September 23. That is when the autumnal equinox occurs in the UAE, the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and moves from the northern to the southern half of the sky, marking the astronomical arrival of autumn. Astronomers, including Al Jarwan, pin the event to roughly 4:05 a.m. UAE time this year, a timing echoed by both NASA and the US Naval Observatory, which log the equinox at 00:05 UTC.
Whether that date genuinely represents the season’s finish, however, depends on who is measuring. Meteorologists don’t wait for the equinox; they treat September 1 as the opening of autumn for climate-reporting purposes, a split that Al Jarwan noted often leaves residents unsure of when one season actually gives way to the next.
The distinction matters little to anyone stepping outside. Even with autumn’s official start weeks away and the meteorological boundary already crossed, the National Centre of Meteorology recorded coastal and island highs of 41°C to 46°C on August 8, with inland readings climbing as high as 49°C and coastal humidity touching 85 percent. Al Jarwan explained that the Indian seasonal low-pressure system, a key driver of the heat, only weakens slowly across September rather than collapsing at once.
Relief, when it comes, will be incremental. Gulf News reported that daytime highs on most September days are forecast to slip below 39°C after hovering at or above 42°C through much of the summer, with overnight lows dipping under 27°C. The more decisive drop is expected in October, when highs on many days could fall beneath 35°C.
Adding to the unsettled conditions, thermal low-pressure systems reaching out from central Arabia continue to stir up active winds capable of lifting dust and cutting visibility across exposed areas — a reminder that the transition out of summer tends to be gradual across the Emirates rather than a clean break.
