Climate of Muscat

The climate of Muscat features a hot, arid climate with long and very hot summers and warm winters. Annual rainfall in Muscat is about 100 mm (4 in), falling mostly from November to April. In general, precipitation is scarce in Muscat with several months, on average, seeing only a trace of rainfall. The climate is very hot, with temperatures reaching as high as 46 °C (120 °F) in the summer. For sightseeing, the best time to visit Muscat is from November to April as the temperatures are moderate and pleasant, making it easy to move around. The day time temperature in Muscat during winter season is 23-26°C and night will be cool around 13-17°C. Between May and October, travel is very exhausting with the average temperature between 31 °C to 38 °C and sunburn and dehydration are possible.[1]

Climate data for Muscat
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34.6
(94.3)		 38.2
(100.8)		 41.5
(106.7)		 44.9
(112.8)		 48.3
(118.9)		 48.5
(119.3)		 49.1
(120.4)		 49.2
(120.6)		 47.2
(117.0)		 43.6
(110.5)		 39.4
(102.9)		 37.8
(100.0)		 49.2
(120.6)
Average high °C (°F) 25.5
(77.9)		 26.1
(79.0)		 29.8
(85.6)		 34.7
(94.5)		 39.5
(103.1)		 40.4
(104.7)		 38.6
(101.5)		 36.2
(97.2)		 36.3
(97.3)		 35.0
(95.0)		 30.5
(86.9)		 27.1
(80.8)		 33.3
(92.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 21.3
(70.3)		 21.9
(71.4)		 25.2
(77.4)		 29.8
(85.6)		 34.2
(93.6)		 35.2
(95.4)		 34.3
(93.7)		 32.0
(89.6)		 31.4
(88.5)		 29.7
(85.5)		 25.7
(78.3)		 22.6
(72.7)		 28.6
(83.5)
Average low °C (°F) 17.3
(63.1)		 17.6
(63.7)		 20.7
(69.3)		 24.7
(76.5)		 29.1
(84.4)		 30.6
(87.1)		 30.4
(86.7)		 28.4
(83.1)		 27.5
(81.5)		 24.9
(76.8)		 20.9
(69.6)		 18.9
(66.0)		 24.3
(75.7)
Record low °C (°F) 1.6
(34.9)		 2.3
(36.1)		 7.0
(44.6)		 10.3
(50.5)		 17.2
(63.0)		 21.6
(70.9)		 23.5
(74.3)		 21.3
(70.3)		 19.0
(66.2)		 14.3
(57.7)		 9.4
(48.9)		 4.5
(40.1)		 1.6
(34.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 12.8
(0.50)		 24.5
(0.96)		 15.9
(0.63)		 17.1
(0.67)		 7.0
(0.28)		 0.9
(0.04)		 0.2
(0.01)		 0.8
(0.03)		 0.0
(0.0)		 1.0
(0.04)		 6.8
(0.27)		 13.3
(0.52)		 100.3
(3.95)
Average relative humidity (%) 63 64 58 45 42 49 60 67 63 55 60 65 58
Mean monthly sunshine hours 268.6 244.8 278.3 292.5 347.4 325.7 277.7 278.6 303.9 316.9 291.9 267.0 3,493.3
Source: NOAA (1961–1990) [2]

A beach in Muscat

Factors

Muscat being located in the Arabian peninsula features long and very hot summers similar to that of any Middle Eastern country. Rainfall in the city is very rare, mostly falling during winter months.

  • Shamal winds occur in Muscat during summer months. They are very dusty and remain at peak in the morning but decrease at night.[3]
  • Sandstorm or Dust storm are phenomena which affect Muscat rarely during summer months.[4][5]
  • Westerly winds bring winter showers to many parts of Oman including Muscat, coming from the Mediterranean or North Africa.[6]
  • The Southwest Monsoon only affects the Dhofar region of Oman where light rainfall occurs but upper parts of Oman including Muscat remain dry during this period.

Extreme weather events

The most extreme weather events in Oman are tropical storms that form in the Arabian sea. Following is the list of tropical storms that affected Oman, including Muscat, during the 21st century.

  • In 2002, a cyclonic storm hit the Dhofar region of Oman.
  • In 2007, a category 5 Cyclone Gonu caused squally winds and rains to the city of Muscat.[7]
  • In 2010, a category 4 Cyclone Phet brought massive flooding to Muscat during early June.[8]
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References
  1. "AsiaRooms | LateRooms - Last Minute Hotel Deals & Cheap Hotels". asiarooms.com. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  2. "Seeb Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  3. El-Baz, F.; Makharita, R.M. (1994). The Gulf War and the Environment. Gordon and Breach Science Publishers. p. 31. ISBN 9782881246494. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  4. "Scoonpooh's Travel Blog: Salalah, Oman - July 3, 2010". travelpod.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  5. "Oman Tribune - the edge of knowledge". omantribune.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  6. "BBC - Weather Centre - World Weather - Country Guides - Saudi Arabia". Archived from the original on October 25, 2005. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  7. "WebCite query result". webcitation.org. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  8. Kim Kelaita. "Cyclone Phet batters coastal Oman". CNN. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
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