By Kaushalendra Singh — SALALAH: APRIL 30 - It was a pleasant surprise to the residents of Salalah as they got a momentary feeling of Khareef (monsoon) after a brief but sudden spell of rain on Sunday morning. Though the sky was cast from the early morning, the sporadic rain started at 8 am and continued till afternoon. Khareef usually arrives in Salalah in late June and continues till September end. According to Salalah Met office (DG of Meteorology), it rained medium to heavy in almost all parts of Salalah’s coastal and mountain areas. “The rain was expected today and our forecast suggests light to moderate rain from Sunday to Thursday. Thunderstorms are likely in the desert areas during the period,” said a source in the Met office.
“In Salalah, Saada received maximum rain. Those who were standing outside had to run for shelter as the downpour was heavy. Going by the thickness of the cloud and colour of the sky we thought the rain was going to continue for the whole day but it came as a surprise and went,” said Bakhit, a local resident. The impact of the rain on the roads was not too much in terms of jams, etc due to recently introduced road bridges in Saada and Itin. The residents called the bridges huge relief, which forced them to remember the situation earlier on Salalah roads when even small spell of rain would lead to traffic jams.
“It would have been long queue of vehicles all around. Today’s rain was like a rehearsal of the bridges for this year’s Khareef, as today’s brief rain was first after all the three bridges were operational in a coordinated manner,” said Abdullah, who stays in Saada and commutes daily to Raysut for work. The Met office has advised people to keep safe distance from sea while visiting the beaches, and to fishermen not to venture into the sea in the event of heavy rain.
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