Meteorological summer (June-August) is about to begin with even warmer weather on the way. During the next few days there could be some isolated and brief afternoon thundershowers over Hajar mountains (which sometimes affect nearby Oman towns and Al Ain in the UAE). Such periods happen frequently in summer and early autumn. More showers over mountains of southern Saudi Arabia and Yemen which also happen frequently in summer as inter-tropical convergence zone moves northward. The Indian Monsoon is about to begin officially around May 31st.
Archive for the ‘Climatology’ Category
During May 2002, an interesting tropical storm formed over the Arabian Sea. It formed on May 6th and lost its tropical storm status on May 10th, but not before hitting southeast Oman with heavy rainfall. There are two interesting events in this animated movie from May 1 -14, 2002. More details here.
The last few days of April will see continued showers and thunderstorms over parts of central and northern Saudi Arabia, as well as Kuwait, Iraq, and the Mediterranean as a mid-latitude low crosses the Mediterranean, delivering rain there. Some lingering showers over Saudi Arabia during the first 24-48 hours of May are expected along with the possibility of afternoon mountainous thunderstorms over Hajar mountains. While Saudi Arabia and the Mediterranean continue to be prone to some showers during the month of May, a change into a dry weather pattern is likely to settle in by end of May if not before. A semi-permanent mid-level [ Read More ]
Looking at annual rainfall data of the UAE for the period between 1934 and 2001 is astonishing. The below chart is based on raw rainfall data available at the website of the Ministry of Enivronment and Water. A few interesting thoughts: Most of the rainfall tends to fall between November and March. The average annual rainfall is 110 mm (red line). BUT, it is just an average that is distorted by relatively very wet and very dry years. It is either above average, or below average, with few years hovering around an average rainfall of 110 mm. This can explain [ Read More ]
