Summer is officially over in Oman

Muscat: With the start of September and the appearance of a very special star in Omani skies, Summer is officially considered over and we can look forward to the weather becoming milder than it was in August.

An official from PACA said in a statement online: “With the start of September, we can say goodbye to the summer of 2019 when it comes to the weather.

“The climate in September is generally stable and has more moderate temperatures [compared to summer] especially during the night,” he added.

According to data from the Directorate General, “The station at Muscat International Airport registered an average maximum temperature of 41.7 and a minimum of 26.3 in September 2018, compared to 46.5 and 26.5 in August 2018”.

Aggregate data for 1986-2009 shows that the average maximum temperature in Muscat does not change much between August and September, but the minimum changes from 28.2 in August to 26.8 in September

The end of Summer is heralded by the appearance of a star at dawn, locally called ‘Al Suhail’ and otherwise known as Canopus, which tells astronomers that Summer has ended.

Salim Al Furaisi, Head of the Astronomical Observation Section at the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, said: “Suhail is astronomically considered the second brightest star we see at night after Al Shu’ra Al Yamania (Sirius).

“Suhail can be found to the South. It is a red giant which tells us about its age. The star typically appears at around August 24 each year.

“Suhail is important to us because its appearance happens to come at a joyful occasion: temperatures beginning to fall with the end of Summer, and so people look forward to seeing it”

The directorate general explained that the appearance of the star doesn’t affect the weather itself, but that the star can be seen at the same time that Summer ends and temperatures change.