Use official weather data: Met office

Oman Tuesday 25/June/2019 13:53 PM
By: Times News Service
Use official weather data: Met office

Muscat: As the temperature continues to rise across the Sultanate, the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) is urging motorists to rely on official data and not the gauge inside their car.
Citizens and residents in Oman tend to get in their cars and immediately look at the temperature reading on their dashboard to check how hot it is outside.
Users have also begun publishing their readings via social media, arguing that temperatures are higher than official records state.
Unreliable readings
The readings inside cars are unreliable because of the car gauge’s lack of accuracy, according to a PACA spokesman.
An official from the Directorate General of Meteorology at PACA told Times of Oman: “There are too many factors that affect the reading on your car’s sensor, and people relying on them too much is an issue.”
“The reading on your car depends on its make, the device implanted inside, how it is affected by weather in the long term, and even the colour of the car. For example, black cars will register higher temperatures than white cars.”
“With these factors, we definitely do not recommend depending on the car’s sensor too much. At most, you can use it as a general indicator of how hot the air might be,” he added.
The Directorate General gets its temperature readings from highly sophisticated machines spread across the country.
The official added: “Our machines are all over Oman, operate under a global standard and have their own requirements, such as regular maintenance and being kept higher than a metre above ground so that they don’t get affected by the reflected heat.”
“We would urge people to use our reports as the official indicator for how hot it is at any given time.”
This comes after temperatures in Fahoud reached 50 degrees Celsius on Monday, according to PACA.
On Sunday, Oman Meteorology had warned that the temperatures in Al Wusta, A’Dhakiliyah and A’Dhahirah Governorates were predicted to reach 49 degrees.
Temperatures in Ibri and Sunayinal reached 48 degrees while Maqshin, Haima and Qarn Alam all experienced maximum temperatures of 47 degrees.
The lowest temperatures in the Sultanate were observed in Qairoon Hiriti, Dhalkut, Saiq, Duqum and Ashkhara with each area experiencing levels varying from 21 to 25 degrees.
Businesses were reminded about safe working practices in the heat. An official at the Ministry of Manpower told the Times of Oman: “There are regulations banning work in open areas from 12:30pm until 3:30pm during June, July, and August, to protect the health and safety of workers in these sites.”
“There are some exceptions for those who are working in oil and gas fields as they have to continue work in these areas. Shade for these workers is provided, as well as other precautionary safety measures to protect them in the soaring temperatures during summer,” the official said.