Dibba hottest in the Sultanate, Dhofar to get rain

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Dibba recorded the highest temperature in Oman, even as other parts of the Sultanate are expected to receive rainfall.

The port city in Musandam sizzled at 50 degrees Celsius.

After Dibba, the hottest towns were Sunaynah at 49.3 degrees Celsius, Rustaq at 48.7 degrees Celsius, followed by Mudhaibi, Fahud and Ibri at 48.3 degrees Celsius.

This was disclosed by the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) on their official Twitter handle.

PACA said that people living in the Sultanate would need to contend with the continuing heat wave, accompanied by blowing dust for the next three days. The Governorates of Buraimi, Ad Dhahirah and other parts in the interior of Oman are likely to be the worst hit.

Parts of the Dhofar governorate are likely to receive some rain, PACA added. They said that horizontal visibility was likely to be affected by thundershowers in these parts.

“Clear to partly cloudy skies over the coastal areas of Dhofar governorate and adjoining mountains with a chance of intermittent drizzle. Mainly clear skies over the rest of the Sultanate with chances of clouds over Al Hajr mountains. Chances of late night to early morning low-level clouds or fog patches along the coastal areas of south Al Sharqiyah and Al Wusta,” an official statement by PACA said.

Moreover, PACA revealed that Dhalkut in Dhofar governorate was the coldest town in the Sultanate at 21.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Qairoon Hriti at 21.8 degrees Celsius, Saiq at 24.4 degrees Celsius, Thumrait at 26.4 degrees Celsius, Ras Al Hadd at 26.8 degrees Celsius and Salalah at 27.6 degrees Celsius.

‘Spike normal’

An official from PACA said that people residing in Oman need not worry, as the spike in temperatures was normal for this time of year.

“This is normal as it is June. We can expect the temperatures to pick up even more after this. I know there were people who were fasting when the heat wave occurred. What they can do is to be careful and not spend too much time in the hot sun in the summer days to come. Blue collar workers should take precautions and stay hydrated for the remainder of the summer,” he said.

He added that rains in Dhofar were also expected since it was the beginning of the Khareef season.

“We expect the rains to arrive as the Khareef season begins. This rainfall brings down the temperature in many parts of the governorate. So, you see that places such as Dhalkut, Samail and others are cooler. The rains are not due to the cyclone. Its effects are over. Mekunu caused a lot of damage and the authorities are making sure that everything is back to normal. Also, due to the storm, waterfalls are full and everything will be greener and more beautiful,” the official added.