Heavy rains boost holiday mood for some, play spoilsport for others

The upper air trough over the Arabian Sea affecting the Sultanate had an impact on people who were in the mood to enjoy the holidays.

Many were on the way visiting relatives before the lockdown during the Eid holidays but returning back to Muscat were

taken aback by the powerful flowing wadis as Sur received on Friday the highest amount of rainfall at 204 mm. While sea water inundation was experienced along with overflowing wadis, some areas faced brief power cuts, but the toughest experience was the flooding of houses.

Ali al Wahaibi travelled to Sharqiyah but was unable to return back, “We could not come back to Muscat on Friday because of the wadi flows. We stayed at a hotel in Sur and started back on the journey on Saturday morning. On our way back we saw many houses in Sur flooded due to the rain. When you look at the sea you could see the change in colour because of the infiltrated mud far into the sea. We passed through Qurayat under clear sky. But all the colour of nature is something different in beauty. We could observe the clouds building up back on the mountains.”

Mazoun al Ghailani did not want to lose out on the photography opportunity and happened to visit until she realised it might be safer to return home.

“I went on a trip on Friday to Wadi Shab, Wadi Tiwi and other areas of Sur. It was an interesting and enjoyable experience, especially since the weather was cloudy and was experiencing rains too. Wadi Shab was overflowing. I felt it had the most water and a beautiful sight was the merging of the wadi with the sea. Wadi Tiwi looked pretty with the greenery but soon the rain became heavy… what worried me the most was when the clouds got condensed and began to pass in the form of bundles and the wind became strong so I decided it was time to return home,” said Mazoun.

Friday was a regular day, felt Ali Baqi who is from Rakhyout and works in Salalah.

On Saturday he said, “It is raining in all parts of Dhofar including the desert, the west and the mountain areas and of course the Salalah City. People are happy because it is great for the cattle and camels. It rained continuously with a break in the evening.

The upper air trough over the Arabian Sea is expected to have its impact on Sunday as well across the governorates of Oman.