Just hours before flights were diverted at Dubai International, the UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) pushed red and yellow alerts to residents’ phones, warning of "near-zero horizontal visibility" across Dubai, Abu Dhabi’s desert corridors and coastal highways until 10:00 on 3 January 2026. Police patrols reduced speed limits on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to 80 km/h and deployed warning beacons at known accident hotspots.
For business travellers, the advisory translated into taxi shortages and longer ride-share surge times as drivers slowed to crawl speeds. Car-rental firms messaged clients to defer vehicle pick-ups, while logistics operators rerouted last-mile deliveries to avoid inland fog “pockets.” Concierge desks at downtown hotels reported dozens of guests delaying inter-emirate commutes until visibility improved.
![UAE Issues Red-and-Yellow Fog Alerts, Urges Motorists and Tourists to Postpone Early-Morning Trips]()
The NCM’s bulletin forms part of a larger, technology-driven early-warning system introduced after a series of pile-ups in 2024. Real-time data from 68 roadside lidar stations triggers automated SMS and social-media alerts in Arabic, English, Hindi and Urdu—key languages for the UAE’s multinational workforce.
Authorities emphasise that fog events often give way to high winds and dust. Indeed, the NCM forecast predicts gusts up to 50 km/h on 4 January, potentially replacing “whiteout” fog with “yellow” dust storms that can again snarl traffic and reduce visibility for inbound flights.
Global mobility teams are advised to: 1) brief assignees on the Roads & Transport Authority real-time traffic app; 2) remind staff that most motor insurance in the UAE excludes damage incurred while exceeding posted fog-event speed limits; and 3) build contingency time into cross-emirate ground transfers through mid-February, the traditional peak of the fog season.
For business travellers, the advisory translated into taxi shortages and longer ride-share surge times as drivers slowed to crawl speeds. Car-rental firms messaged clients to defer vehicle pick-ups, while logistics operators rerouted last-mile deliveries to avoid inland fog “pockets.” Concierge desks at downtown hotels reported dozens of guests delaying inter-emirate commutes until visibility improved.
The NCM’s bulletin forms part of a larger, technology-driven early-warning system introduced after a series of pile-ups in 2024. Real-time data from 68 roadside lidar stations triggers automated SMS and social-media alerts in Arabic, English, Hindi and Urdu—key languages for the UAE’s multinational workforce.
Authorities emphasise that fog events often give way to high winds and dust. Indeed, the NCM forecast predicts gusts up to 50 km/h on 4 January, potentially replacing “whiteout” fog with “yellow” dust storms that can again snarl traffic and reduce visibility for inbound flights.
Global mobility teams are advised to: 1) brief assignees on the Roads & Transport Authority real-time traffic app; 2) remind staff that most motor insurance in the UAE excludes damage incurred while exceeding posted fog-event speed limits; and 3) build contingency time into cross-emirate ground transfers through mid-February, the traditional peak of the fog season.
Source: Times of India
