Driving in Gulf conditions: heat, fog, dust and rain

Gulf weather changes the rules of the road. Fog can drop visibility to a few metres, dust storms arrive quickly, and rare heavy rain floods roads and wadis within minutes. Knowing what police advise for each one keeps a scary drive manageable.

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Heat: you and the car

• Summer heat raises the risk of tyre failure and overheating. The Car Care module (cc-02 and cc-03) explains tyre checks and summer car care in detail.
• Never leave a child, an older person or a pet in a parked car, even for a minute. Gulf News reports that a car's interior can rise up to 30°C above the outside temperature, and a 2023 Sharjah experiment found a rise of up to 30°C within 10 minutes.
• Abu Dhabi Police have warned of heatstroke and fatal outcomes 'within minutes' for children left in cars (Gulf News, May 2025). If you see a child alone in a hot car, call 999.
• Keep water in the car on long drives and plan fuel stops before you are low, especially on desert roads.

Fog

• Fog often forms overnight and in the early morning. The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has advised drivers to check official weather updates before travelling (Gulf News, September 2026).
• Abu Dhabi Police advise using low-beam headlights, leaving a safe following distance and avoiding sudden lane changes and overtaking in fog.
• Abu Dhabi Police lower speed limits on major roads, for example to 80 km/h, during fog. Follow the electronic speed signs, which can change from day to day.
• If visibility is very poor, ask whether the trip can wait until the fog lifts later in the morning.

Dust and sandstorms

• Gulf News (July 2026), citing RTA guidance, says to check that all your lights work before driving in dusty conditions.
• Slow down to a speed that suits the conditions and keep a safe distance; stopping can take longer when you cannot see far ahead.
• Gulf News advises against using hazard lights while driving in low visibility, because they can mislead other drivers. Use your headlights and tail lights instead.
• Do not take photos or videos while driving, and keep windows closed with the air conditioning on.

Rain and wet roads

• Dubai Police's tips include using low-beam headlights, reducing speed, staying away from road edges and checking your brakes work after driving through puddles (Gulf Business, April 2024).
• Dubai Police also suggest using the outside air setting on your ventilation to stop windows misting, and following weather updates from official sources only.
• Abu Dhabi Police's traffic director has advised keeping wipers and headlights on, holding the wheel with both hands, keeping a safe distance, avoiding sudden hard braking and slowing down before corners (Gulf News, 2023).
• Double your following distance on wet roads, as UK guidance recommends at least doubling the two-second gap.

Floods and wadis: never drive in

• Abu Dhabi's traffic police director told Gulf News that any area where water collects in rain should be a no-go zone for drivers, and that people have died crossing fast-flowing water in wadis.
• UAE weather warnings reported by Gulf News (March 2026) say not to enter valleys or flood channels while water is flowing, not to drive into flooded roads, and to avoid gathering near valleys and dams.
• The US National Weather Service warns that just 12 inches (about 30 cm) of rushing water can carry away most cars, and that over half of flood drownings happen when a vehicle is driven into floodwater.
• You cannot judge depth or current from the driver's seat. If you see water across the road, turn around and find another route.
• Penalties for entering wadis during flows are heavy in the UAE, but the real reason to stay out is that water can sweep a car away in seconds.