Aviation weather in The Middle East

Heat and dust set the limits: performance-critical summer temperatures, blowing dust that drops visibility to a few hundred metres within minutes, and shallow overnight fog at coastal hubs.

At a glance

Main hazards Dust and sand, High temperature, Low visibility, Low-level windshear, Thunderstorms
Most demanding season March – June
Thunderstorm season November – February
Representative airports OMDB · OTHH · OERK · LLBG · OKKK
Official sources UAE National Center of Meteorology · ICAO Meteorology (MET) programme

The services linked above are the authoritative source for this region. This page explains what their reports contain; it is not a substitute for an official briefing.

What these hazards mean

Dust and sand Blowing dust drops visibility within minutes and erodes engine components; the reports code it as DU, SA, DS or SS.
High temperature Density altitude cuts engine and wing performance; above certain temperatures some aircraft simply cannot depart at weight.
Low visibility Fog, mist, haze, dust or heavy precipitation cutting visibility below the minimum for the approach in use.
Low-level windshear A sudden change of wind speed or direction near the ground, usually from a microburst or a sea breeze front, on the part of the flight with the least margin.
Thunderstorms Cumulonimbus cells carrying severe turbulence, hail, lightning and downdraughts; avoided laterally, never flown through.

METAR decoder

Paste a raw observation and read it in plain language. It runs in your browser — the report never leaves your device, and nothing is stored.

Works with ICAO reports and with the North American SM / inHg variant.

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Last updated 2026-08-09 by aviationwheater.siten.co · About us

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