Climatology | Emirates Meteorology

Autumn starts this Wednesday. But hot weather is not ending yet!August 28, 2010 6:41
We are definitely more than half way past through this long SUMMER!August 19, 2010 8:10
Melting weather in the UAEAugust 13, 2010 8:08
2010 brought extreme winter and summer in Europe and Russia. What could be next for Europe and the REST of the world?!August 9, 2010 5:51
Tired of summer. 55 days until the more tolerable October. Stay patient :-DAugust 4, 2010 9:38
Odd brief and scattered afternoon thundershowers have been affecting southern/western desert of the UAE for the last 3 daysAugust 4, 2010 9:35

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Autumn Starts in September, or Maybe Not?!

August 28th, 2010

September starts in a few days, so does meteorological autumn!

Meteorological autumn starts in September and lasts till November in the northern hemisphere. These are the months where temperatures start to decline. However, astronomical autumn starts on Sep 22/23, when length of day becomes equal to night time. However, meteorological autumn starts before astronomical autumn since days are already getting shorter with less solar energy day by day.

But for folks residing in the Arabian Peninsula, it may still feel like SUMMER! It will take up to end of September and early October for some cooling to take effect. Of course. countries that are more to the north will cool quicker and faster, than compared to other countries like the UAE and the gulf countries.

What happens in autumn in the Arabian Peninsula? During the first half there will be a gradual decrease in temperatures, with warm temperatures still prevailing. But from the second half, especially in November, a noticable change in seasons takes place as the atmosphere gets ready for winter. In November, cold fronts associated with clouds and rain begin to affect Middeteranian countries and gulf region (especially KSA and Kuwait) and often extend to Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman. Meanwhile, during late September to early November, the Arabian Sea goes through a cyclone season once again. While rare, tropical storms and cyclones can form and sometimes affect Oman or Yemen.

Another Face for 2010 Summer in Arabia

August 14th, 2010

While the word summer, for many people living in the Arabian Peninsula, immediately means hot temperatures of above 40c with dry sunny days, it may not mean the same for some. In fact, there are places in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen where summer might mean something that is not really summer-like. In reality, parts of SE Oman, S and SW Saudi Arabia, and much of Yemen enjoy summers that are wet and pleasant. However, the summer of 2010 have so far brought more than their typical share of summer rain.

Starting with Oman, the city of Salalah, pictured above, (Thofar region, SE Oman) is by all means a summer wonder in Arabia. Salalah magically transforms into a paradise during summer as moist tropical air from the Arabian Sea engulfs the city with misty air, giving life to plants, wild life, and even desert itself. The region changes from a sandy brownish outlook to a green lush one due to daily drizzle/rain, giving rise to spectacular waterfalls and lakes with air temperatures in mid 20s.

While green Salalah is a regular event, other areas in Oman have become targets of irregular weather systems, mainly tropical cyclones. During late May, June, late September, October, and early November, tropical cyclones form in the Arabian Sea and sometimes affect Oman/Yemen. And in June 2010, Oman braced itself for a hit from Cyclone Phet, leaving the country with floods and more than 20 fatalities. It is a harsh reality for Oman, given that the two strongest tropical cyclones of the Arabian Sea (since records began), Gonu and Phet, hit them during the last 4 years. And those tropical cyclones have hit northern arid areas of Oman. Is it a new trend? Maybe. It is important to keep in mind that Oman occasinally gets hit by tropical cyclones, but usually they are weaker and more to the south.

Phet approaching Oman

Yemen, which enjoys a thundery wet summer due to tropical moisture with pleasant temperatures, also had to contend with a rare hit from tropical storm Bandu in late May 2010, which resulted in heavy rains and property damage. It proved to be an early wet start to their normally wet monsoon, which peaks in July and August, resulting in daily thunderstorms over much of hilly/mountaineous Yemen. However, monsoon rain in Yemen in 2010 have also been so far above average. There have been more than 50 fatalities in Yemen due to floods.

Southern Saudi Arabia also enjoys a wet thundery summer, similar to Yemen, due to mountaineous areas and tropical moisture during the summer months. These thunderstorms have been stronger and wetter than normal, which resulted in more than 15 fatalities so far this year.

While those areas enjoy a contrasting summer than other countries in the Arabian Peninsula, the rest contine to swelter under extreme heat and harsh weather conditions. The below image shows rainfall in Arabia during the last 30 days, in mm per day. It is very clear how wet parts of Oman, S Saudi Arabia, and Yemen were.

Looking back at Arabian Sea Cyclones

May 25th, 2010

The Arabian Sea usually produces a few tropical storms or even cyclones (mainly in May/June/Oct/Nov). The image below shows tropical storms tracks from 1891 to 2007 produced by the Indian Meteorological Dept (IMD).

North Indian Ocean Cyclones Tracks

It is very clear that among the Gulf countries, Oman and Yemen are at higher risk of getting hit by tropical storms or cyclones every year. While the Arabian Sea produces storms annually, Oman and Yemen are not affected every year. Even when they are affected, usually the storms are not severe (tropical storms or depression with winds below 119 Km/hr) and don’t reach cyclone status (winds above 119 Km/hr). However, the amount of rain that falls can be fatal by itself. Moreover, there are exceptions such as Cyclone Gonu which entered Gulf of Oman as a category 1 cyclone, but not before reaching a category 5 status while moving over the Arabian Sea before reaching Oman.

And after Cyclone Gonu shattered records by being the strongest storm in the Arabian Sea and by taking an unusual track into the Gulf of Oman, we need to keep an eye on the Arabian Sea for future storms development. During the next 45 days, chances are that another tropical storm or cyclone could form over the Arabian Sea. Although most of them hit India, we need to remeber the potential of those storms to move to the west or northwest approaching Oman or Yemen.