Rains, strong winds lash parts of Oman

Muscat: Muscat residents were in for a surprise on Tuesday evening as strong winds along with rains lashed most parts of the city on a day when most of the other governorates across the Sultanate of Oman also experienced medium to heavy rainfall.

The Directorate General of Meteorology’s forecast predicted heavy to moderate rainfall in various parts of Oman, and on Tuesday, the governorates of Al Dhahirah, South al Batinah, North Al Batinah, and Al Dakhiliyah experienced rains of varying intensity along with hail storms and strong winds due to the effect of low-pressure air trough.

Active northerly to northwesterly winds blew between 20-25 knots over most of the governorates in the Sultanate of Oman with strong winds lashing Muscat in the evening.

Earlier in the day, other areas witnessed increased dust levels and low visibility.  The Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA) has called for caution and to follow safety instructions during rains and crossing of flowing wadis.

The Oman Met department said that the low-pressure air trough will continue to impact the Sultanate of Oman till Thursday. More thunderstorms and heavy to moderate rains are expected to affect governorates of South and North Al Sharqiyah, Al Dhahirah, North Al Batinah, South Al Batinah, Al Dakhiliyah, Muscat, and Dhofar.

On Tuesday, rains fell in the governorates of Musandam, Al Buraimi, North Al Batinah, North and South Al Sharqiyah, and Dhofar, ranging from heavy to medium with few areas also experiencing hailstorms. The downpour led to the overflow of a number of wadis and led to traffic chaos on the streets in some wilayats of the governorates.

As a result of the rains, the Directorate General of Education in North Sharqiyah suspended classes in schools in all wilayats on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources published the rainfall distribution in the Sultanate of Oman from March 19 to 21, 2023 until 9am. The wilayat of Al Jazir in Al Wusta governorate recorded the highest amount of rainfall with 35 mm.

Wilayats of Ja’alan Bani Bu Ali and Ja’lan Bani Bu Hassan also recorded a good amount of rain in the South Al Sharqiyah governorate with 30 mm each, the same as recorded in the wilayat of Duqm.