United Arab Emirates Weather and Climate

Geographical location and general information

According to COUNTRYAAH, the United Arab Emirates (UAE for short) are located in the southwestern part of Asia on the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federation on the Persian Gulf, to which, in addition to the well-known emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, also Ras Al Khaimah (Ra’s al-Khaima), Fujairah (Fujairah), Ajman (Ajman), Sharjah (Sharjah) and Umm al- Quaiwain belong.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi, the second largest city in the country with around 625,000 inhabitants after Dubai (2.2 million inhabitants). The head of state and president is Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The emirates were under the protectorate of the United Kingdom for a long time and have only been independent since 1971. Due to its enormous oil reserves, the UAE experienced a rapid rise and made the region one of the richest countries in the world.

In the meantime, tourism is not only a very important pillar of the economy in the metropolis of Dubai, all other emirates are increasingly opening up to tourism. While Dubai and Abu Dhabi are still quite expensive, the neighboring emirates like Ras Al Khaimah tend to rely on classic package travel concepts at lower prices and even offer all-inclusive meals with alcohol in many resorts.

All capital cities of the United Arab Emirates have their own international airports. Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways and Dubai with Emirates even have two of the world’s leading state-owned airlines. The low-cost airline Air Arabia is based in Sharjah.

In addition, the airports are served by numerous scheduled and charter airlines. The world’s largest airport is currently being built in Dubai with the expansion of the new Dubai World Central International Airport.

• Abbreviation Finder: Check to see national geography, brief history, society description, domestic politics, economy overview, and a list of widely used acronyms about United Arab Emirates.

Climate in the United Arab Emirates

The UAE climate is tropical to subtropical and very dry in most regions. Especially in summer, daytime temperatures above 40 degrees are regularly measured on the coast, in the less windy inland the thermometer can climb even further. The climate in the United Arab Emirates is desert-like and, with the exception of the cooler Hajjar Mountains, is warm to hot all year round.

The big differences between the day and night temperatures are pleasant. In most areas of the Emirates the difference is around 10 to 12 degrees. While it is about 41 degrees during the day between July and August in Dubai, for example, the temperatures drop to 29 degrees at night. In the coldest month of January it is around 24 degrees during the day, at night it cools down to the annual low of around 14 ° C.

In summer, the climate in the UAE is often unbearably hot, which is mainly supported by the very high humidity in the coastal regions. Basically, the weather further east, for example in Fujairah, remains more pleasant due to the slightly fresher wind. The water temperatures in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are between 21 degrees low in winter and around 32 degrees in midsummer.

Rain falls in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Co. extremely rarely and usually only for a few minutes. The rainiest time is February with a maximum of 36 mm of precipitation for the entire month. For comparison: February is the driest in Munich month of the whole year with an average of 45.2 mm of precipitation. Rain in the Emirates is a very rare and extraordinary spectacle and does not play a role in travel planning.

Best time to travel to United Arab Emirates

Basically, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can be visited all year round without any problems. Between May and October, however, the temperatures consistently climb to over 35 ° C every day, which many travelers find too hot. Of course, a great beach holiday is also possible in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujeirah, Ras Al Khaimah or Sharjah during this travel time.

Although most attractions are air-conditioned, physical activity is not an option. Even city exploration or excursions are very difficult, especially in July and August. If you don’t mind such high temperatures, you will find very good travel offers in return, as many hotels reduce their prices very significantly in summer.

However, we recommend the best travel time from mid-February to the end of April and autumn from the end of October to mid-December. As described, the determination of the best travel time to the UAE is more of a luxury problem, because you do not have to expect bad weather at any time. Therefore, of course, the time in December and January is also suitable, but here it gets a bit fresh on some days for swimming.