Thick winter fog swept across parts of the United Arab Emirates on the morning of February 10, 2026, plunging major corridors between Sharjah and Dubai into near standstill conditions as drivers struggled with sharply reduced visibility and dangerously slow traffic flow. Red and yellow weather alerts, speed reductions and urgent advisories from police and road authorities underscored the severity of a fog crisis that turned one of the region’s busiest commuting axes into a long, tense crawl.
Dense fog blankets key corridors between Sharjah and Dubai
Shortly before dawn, a dense blanket of radiation fog began forming over coastal and internal areas of the UAE, quickly thickening over the northern emirates and along the vital transport spine linking Sharjah and Dubai. By early morning peak hour, visibility had dropped to extremely low levels in pockets, fluctuating from several hundred metres to significantly less in exposed stretches of highway, interchanges and open desert approaches. Commuters setting out on their regular Monday-to-Thursday drives discovered that familiar skylines and waypoints had all but vanished into an opaque white wall.
The National Centre of Meteorology issued red and yellow fog alerts for multiple regions, warning that horizontal visibility on some major routes could deteriorate suddenly and remain compromised until around 9.00 a.m. The advisory covered sections of Dubai and Sharjah as well as surrounding areas, where moist air, cool overnight temperatures and light winds combined to create ideal conditions for persistent fog. Low-lying zones near the coast, including areas around key airports and logistics hubs, were particularly affected.
For motorists, the conditions were immediately unsettling. Overhead gantries and electronic message boards across Dubai and Sharjah displayed urgent warnings to reduce speed, keep headlights and fog lights on, and allow extra following distance. In many locations the familiar outlines of high-rises and urban landmarks were completely obscured, leaving drivers to navigate by the faint glow of taillights and the edge markings of the road.
Travelers in the northern approach corridors reported that the fog thickened rapidly when leaving built-up areas, creating sudden transitions from relatively clear visibility to almost total white-out. This patchy, inconsistent pattern made the morning commute particularly hazardous, catching out drivers who failed to adjust their speed as they moved between clearer pockets and dense fog banks.
Major highways grind to a crawl as gridlock builds
By mid-morning, real-time traffic data and visual reports painted a stark picture of widespread congestion on the main Sharjah to Dubai routes. Al Ittihad Road, the E11 coastal highway that acts as a crucial daily lifeline for tens of thousands of commuters, saw long sections of stop-and-go traffic. Vehicles in multiple lanes crept forward in patient convoys, their hazard lights occasionally blinking as motorists tried to warn those behind of sudden slowdowns.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311), a primary arterial route carrying traffic from Sharjah, Ajman and the northern emirates into Dubai, also experienced severe delays. Bottlenecks formed near interchanges feeding into residential districts such as Muhaisnah and Mirdif, where commuters typically fan out towards workplaces in central Dubai. Under normal conditions, these flows are heavy but manageable. Under a veil of thick fog, lane discipline wavered, braking distances shrank and every minor hesitation rippled backward into another kilometre of tailbacks.
Within Sharjah, key commuter corridors including Al Wahda Road and the route through Al Nahda towards the Dubai border backed up rapidly as drivers attempted to access the main highways. Areas near Sharjah University City, the industrial zones and the ring roads saw traffic density spike as motorists searched for alternate routes that would allow them to bypass the worst of the congestion. Instead, what many found were slower parallel routes, equally compromised by low visibility and cautious driving speeds.
Inside Dubai, the impact was felt far beyond the immediate Sharjah border. Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road and Ras Al Khor Road all reported slower-than-usual traffic, particularly at junctions where ramp merges demand clear lines of sight. Logistics operators, school transport and commuter buses moved carefully along the same corridors, further adding to the volume of vehicles negotiating reduced visibility. The morning peak stretched well beyond its typical window, as journeys that usually take 30 to 40 minutes ballooned towards an hour or more.
Authorities issue urgent warnings and adjust speed limits
As fog thickened before sunrise, authorities acted quickly to manage the twin priorities of keeping traffic flowing and maintaining safety. The National Centre of Meteorology’s alerts were amplified by municipal and federal agencies, with Dubai Police, Sharjah Police and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority releasing coordinated messages across social media and broadcast channels. Motorists were repeatedly advised to reduce speed, avoid sudden lane changes, and strictly follow distance guidelines.
In some areas, temporary speed reductions were introduced on major roads, bringing maximum limits down from typical highway speeds to safer thresholds suited for low-visibility conditions. Dynamic message boards on key Dubai and Sharjah highways displayed real-time warnings and updated speed advisories, reminding drivers that ignoring these temporary limits not only increased risk but also exposed them to steep traffic fines designed to deter reckless behaviour in adverse weather.
Police patrols and traffic units took up positions at strategic junctions and known bottlenecks, ready to respond quickly to minor collisions or stalled vehicles that could trigger chain-reaction gridlock. While there were reports of small fender-bender incidents in some residential and arterial zones, early indications suggested that the combination of lower speeds and heightened public awareness helped prevent more serious crashes on the busiest stretches of the Sharjah to Dubai corridor.
Officials also stressed that hazard lights should not be used while the vehicle was in motion except in emergencies, reminding motorists that overuse of hazards during normal movement can confuse other drivers and obscure turn indicators. Instead, drivers were instructed to rely on low-beam headlights and fog lights, maintain a steady lane position and leave generous gaps to the vehicle ahead.
Commuter frustrations grow as routine journeys are disrupted
For thousands of residents who live in Sharjah and work in Dubai, the morning fog crisis translated into longer, more stressful commutes and disrupted schedules. Many drivers found themselves leaving home at their usual time, only to spend much of the morning idling in queues that barely advanced. Office workers, service employees and school staff resorted to sending apologetic messages explaining that the fog had turned the typical rush hour grind into a full-scale transport challenge.
Parents accompanying children on school runs between the emirates described a nervous balancing act between the need to reach campuses on time and the imperative to drive cautiously. With buses also delayed, educational institutions across affected areas braced for staggered arrivals, late attendance and the knock-on effect on lessons. Some parents decided simply to turn back rather than risk pushing through sections of near-zero visibility.
Ride-hailing drivers and delivery riders, already grappling with the demands of tight schedules, saw trip times extend sharply, reducing the number of journeys possible in the peak morning window. Many adjusted their navigation apps to avoid the worst-hit corridors, only to find that alternative cross-emirate routes were equally choked. For app-based commuters, surge pricing occasionally flickered in response to the sudden imbalance between demand and supply, another reminder of how integral the Sharjah to Dubai link is to the daily economic life of the region.
Frustration, however, was tempered by a widespread awareness among residents that fog is a recurring feature of the UAE’s winter climate, particularly from late December through February. Social media commentary from frequent commuters often combined complaints about delays with reminders to fellow drivers to stay calm, avoid aggressive manoeuvres and remember that everyone on the road was facing the same challenge.
Why winter fog keeps returning to the UAE’s busiest corridor
The fog crisis that enveloped Sharjah and Dubai this morning is part of a broader seasonal pattern familiar to long-term residents of the Emirates. During the cooler months, particularly in late winter, the contrast between warm, moisture-laden air masses near the sea and cooler overnight ground temperatures sets the stage for radiation fog. When winds fall light and skies clear overnight, heat escapes rapidly from the surface, allowing near-surface air to cool to the point where water vapour condenses into tiny droplets suspended near the ground.
The low-lying coastal plains and inland desert basins that define much of the terrain between Sharjah and Dubai are especially vulnerable to this process. Moisture from the Arabian Gulf, combined with urban humidity and irrigated landscapes, provides ample fuel for fog formation. By the time early commuters set out, these shallow fog layers often have thickened into dense banks that cling stubbornly to highways, rondas and interchanges.
Urban development can influence how and where fog appears. Large expanses of open desert adjacent to built-up zones can act as cold sinks, encouraging fog to settle along highway corridors that cut across these areas. Meanwhile, heat retained by structures and road surfaces in central business districts may limit fog penetration into the very heart of the city, leaving the approach routes and suburban fringes as the most intensely affected zones.
Typically, such fog events begin to ease by mid to late morning as solar heating breaks up the inversion layers that trap cool, moist air close to the surface. However, when temperature differences are modest or cloud cover slows warming, the fog can persist longer than expected, extending travel disruption deeper into the workday and complicating both inbound and outbound traffic flows.
Safety challenges for drivers coping with near-zero visibility
Driving in dense fog presents a distinct set of risks that differ from those associated with heavy rain or sandstorms. Visibility can drop unevenly, creating sudden transitions from relatively clear road ahead to a wall of whiteness. This phenomenon often leads to drivers unintentionally maintaining inappropriate speeds based on the previously clear conditions, leaving too little time to react to hazards or slow-moving traffic emerging from the fog.
In today’s Sharjah and Dubai fog crisis, those risks were magnified on multi-lane highways where differing comfort levels with low-visibility driving played out side by side. Some drivers reduced their speed dramatically, hugging the right-hand lanes and focusing intently on the edge markings. Others, more accustomed to fog or less cautious, maintained higher speeds in the centre and overtaking lanes. The resulting speed differentials increased the chance of sudden lane changes, sharp braking and misjudged overtakes.
Another critical factor is driver fatigue and stress. Prolonged periods of intense concentration, staring into a featureless grey landscape while scanning for brake lights and lane markers, can be mentally exhausting. As the morning wore on and delays stretched longer, the combination of tension and impatience threatened to erode the initial caution displayed by many motorists at the start of the commute.
Authorities repeatedly urged drivers to avoid using high beams, which can reflect off suspended water droplets and worsen glare, and to resist the temptation to tailgate vehicles ahead in the hope of “following” them through the fog. Instead, the message was to treat extra time on the road as an unavoidable safety trade-off, rather than a personal inconvenience that justified taking additional risks.
How the fog crisis affects tourism, aviation and the wider travel sector
While the most immediate impact of the fog crisis was felt by daily commuters, the disruption also rippled outward across the broader travel and tourism ecosystem that underpins Dubai and Sharjah’s economies. Early reports indicated reduced visibility around several key airports, prompting air traffic controllers and airlines to monitor runway and approach conditions closely. Even when modern navigation systems allow landings and takeoffs in low-visibility conditions, ground operations such as taxiing, baggage handling and aircraft positioning often slow to ensure safety.
Passengers connecting through Dubai or Sharjah, particularly those with early morning departures, faced longer journeys to the airport amid road congestion, heightening the risk of missed flights and tight connections. Hotels catering to transit travellers and early check-in guests saw a shift in arrival patterns as travellers either left home earlier than usual or arrived late and stressed, looking for urgent assistance with rebooking and changes.
For visitors using the Sharjah to Dubai corridor as part of multi-emirate itineraries, the fog reinforced the importance of building extra flexibility into travel plans during the winter months. Tour operators and guides, long familiar with regional fog patterns, are increasingly factoring in morning visibility forecasts when scheduling early excursions, cross-emirate transfers or desert outings that require long drives along exposed highways.
Public transport systems, including the Dubai Metro, intercity buses and local bus networks in both emirates, played a crucial role in easing the strain on road networks. As private vehicle traffic slowed, some commuters turned to park-and-ride options or shifted part of their journey onto rail, where services continued on schedule despite external weather conditions. This modal shift, though modest in the short term, highlights the value of robust mass transit infrastructure in weathering episodic traffic shocks.
Looking ahead: resilience, planning and traveller advice
As the fog gradually lifted late in the morning, leaving behind clearer skies and the usual blue-tinted skyline, authorities and residents alike were left to reflect on another winter reminder of the UAE’s complex relationship with its climate. For transport planners, each fog episode provides a new dataset on congestion points, driver behaviour and the effectiveness of real-time interventions such as variable speed limits and targeted advisories.
In the medium term, investment in smarter transport systems is expected to continue, with an emphasis on denser networks of roadside sensors, improved integration between meteorological forecasts and dynamic traffic control, and enhanced communication channels to reach drivers before they even start their journeys. The Sharjah to Dubai axis, in particular, is likely to remain a core focus for both infrastructure upgrades and policy measures designed to spread peak demand more evenly through flexible working arrangements and staggered school hours.
For residents and travellers, the lesson is equally clear. During the late winter period, especially from the pre-dawn hours until mid-morning, fog should be treated as a recurring and predictable risk rather than a surprise. Building extra time into cross-emirate journeys, checking official weather and traffic advisories before departure, and considering public transport alternatives can help reduce the stress and danger associated with these episodes.
Above all, the morning fog crisis across Sharjah and Dubai underlines a simple principle that transcends borders and climates. In adverse conditions, arrival times are negotiable, but safety is not. As commuters, tourists and transport operators adapt to the UAE’s seasonal fog, that mindset will be essential in ensuring that spectacular skylines and world-class highways remain symbols of progress, not scenes of preventable tragedy.