Rains to continue today

Muscat, Nov 10 - Rains and strong winds lashed Muscat and Northern parts of Oman yesterday flooding wadis, roads and stalling traffic on Sunday.

Several wilayats of Al Batinah, Al Buraimi, Al Dhahirah and Al Dakhiliyah governorates also reported low visibility. “We can expect similar weather conditions until Monday evening, but skies will be clear over the rest of the Sultanate on Tuesday, except for some isolated rains along Sea of Oman,” an official at Oman Meteorology told the Observer. According to PACA, wilayat of Mahdha received the highest amount of rainfall 46.8 mm, followed by Nakhl (35 mm) and Bidbid 27 mm.

Among other areas, Saham received 19.4mm of rains, Dibba (18.2 mm), Buraimi (14 mm), Suhar 13 (mm), Bukha (12mm) and Bausher (9.4 mm). No decision has been taken to suspend classes on Monday due to weather alerts issued by Oman Meteorology, said the Ministry of Education. There will be no classes tomorrow as it is not safe for students to travel given the bad weather, said Sohar University in a separate statement. “Sohar University gives the safety of students and staff a top priority, therefore, and due to weather conditions, it has been decided to cancel classes on November 11,” it said.

There were reports of traffic slowdowns due to waterlogging and overflowing wadis in many places, including Buraimi, Suwaiq, Misfat (Muscat). The Ibri-Rustaq road was closed for traffic due to heavy rains and landslides, said the Royal Oman Police. Efforts were under way to rescue a family reportedly stranded in Wadi Mahdha as heavy rains lashed Al Buraimi governorate throughout Sunday. A similar case was reported from Al Jafnayn area where a man was stranded in the wadi with his vehicle. Weather charts also indicate a relative decrease in temperature associated with his weather condition.

ROP has called on the people to take safety measures during the rains and not to risk crossing the wadis. It also called on fishermen not to venture into the sea in the event of high waves. Some areas in the Musandam Governorate are experiencing light to moderate rainfall, reported ROP.