When we woke up this morning, Dubai was draped in a silky mist – which might sound romantic, but in fact makes for a craaaazy, almost heart-stopping start to the day.

If you could stay in bed and just look at all the photos going round Twitter it might actually feel cozy, but for most of us, the early-morning fog that blankets the emirate at this time of year is greeted with an inward groan.

I peered out the window and could just see the main road, but knew immediately what the fog meant: numpties forgetting to put their headlights on, despite two-metre visibility; drivers going too fast; and turning their hazards on (creating more confusion).

The school bus got lost in our compound, flights were diverted to Saudi and mums were tweeting to say they’d got to school, but couldn’t see it. The fog was so dense just outside our compound, it was like driving in a blizzard, in the desert (weird!).

Since it was patchy, there were long clear stretches on the way to school, but then I’d hit another wall of fog and feel my grip on the steering wheel tighten. As it lifted and the sky came into view, I felt like I was in a blue movie with the sunshine filtering through the wispy mist.

On the upside, fog like this signals a change in season – that cooler weather is on the way, for which we’ll all be grateful. Early yesterday morning, I found myself taking a second glance at the temperature reading on the car: 24 degrees, it beamed. Well below 30. Hurray!