UAE weather: alert issued as fog descends overnight

Temperatures will reach 33°C in Abu Dhabi and Dubai today

The Burj Al Arab. The weather today will be fair in general and partly cloudy. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Thick fog engulfed a large swathe of the UAE overnight, forcing police to reduce speed limits on several motorways.

The misty weather affected the western half of the country, starting from Abu al Abyad, about 125km west of Abu Dhabi, stretching all the way to Sila on the border with Saudi Arabia.

Forecasters at the National Centre of Meteorology issued an alert and speed limits were reduced to 80kph in the area as visibility fell below 1,000 metres.

The fog will lift by 8.30am to leave a fair to partly cloudy day.

Temperatures will reach a high of 32°C on the coast and 34°C inland. Winds will be light to moderate, becoming gusty at times.

Conditions will be slight to moderate, becoming rough gradually by night in the Arabian Gulf and calm in the Oman Sea.

Humidity will rise again overnight, raising the risk of further fog or mist over some internal areas on Wednesday.