Oman weather: Temperatures likely to fall

Muscat: Temperatures are expected to dip a little from today after cooler winds started blowing into the country, according to National Multi Hazard Early Warning Centre, which monitors the weather conditions in Oman.
Several parts of the Sultanate are experiencing very high temperatures, which began last Monday. Oman Meteorology Department’s data revealed that on Wednesday, the maximum temperatures in Quriyat and Bidiyah crossed 50 degrees Celsius (C). “The hottest place was Quriyat, which recorded 50.8C,” the official said. In Muscat, the temperature crossed 45 degrees C on Wednesday.
A resident of Sur said the air-conditioning system was not properly working because of the high temperatures.
“It is so hot that the window air conditioner in our house was tripping often,” said Kumar, an Indian expat living in Sur.
However, an official from the National Multi Hazard Early Warning Centre said there was nothing abnormal about this heat wave, which is being experienced across the country.
“It happens almost every year, but this time humidity is also low so the hot winds are making us uncomfortable.”
Citing statistics, the official said that last year, the temperatures had crossed 50 degrees in Suwaiq in June.
“However, things are likely to become better as north-westerly winds will bring relief as humidity is also expected to rise in the next couple of days,” he said.
In Oman, summer normally begins in mid-April and continues until October. Since the hottest months are between June and August, the Ministry of Manpower has issued a directive to all companies, especially construction firms in the country, to stop work at all sites between 12.30pm and 3.30pm during these months.
For the next 24 hours, the National Multi Hazard Early Warning Centre predicts, “Clear to partly cloudy skies along coastal areas of the Dhofar governorate and adjoining mountains. Mainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate.”
Seas will be rough along the coastal areas of Arabian Sea, with a maximum wave height of 3.5 metres; they will be 1 metre along the rest of Oman’s coasts, it said.