Met men in Muscat play it cool over high temperature claims

Muscat: The Department of Meteorology in Muscat has scoffed at rumours suggesting that temperatures in the country could rise to "abnormal highs" this summer.

With temperatures consistently shooting over 40C for the past fortnight, talk across the country has been the rising temperature.

Some believe after tropical Cyclone Gonu Oman enjoyed an unusually longer spell of pleasant weather and now it is time for the scorching summer weather.

People have even started calling radio stations, questioning the temperatures released by the Directorate General of Meteorology and Air Navigation (DGMAN).

A computer vendor, who spends most of his time visiting clients, claimed that temperatures were much higher than officially announced. "My car was showing 46C when officially it was only 41C," Rajabala told Gulf News.

The DGMAN in a statement said the department had received a number of calls enquiring whether summertime temperatures were expected to "overshoot to abnormal values."

"On the contrary, summertime temperatures are expected to prevail well within the normal range." When Gulf News contacted the weather office, a senior official said he would get back with the highest recorded temperature so far in Muscat. However, repeated attempts after that yielded no information from the official. According to a long-term resident, there is nothing unusual about the high temperature in Muscat at this time of year.

"It has always been like this at the beginning of summer but this time people have felt it more as there has been a longer spell of cooler weather after the cyclone hit Oman in June last year," businessman Arvind Toprani told Gulf News.

Citing statistics maintained by Muscat International Airport's weather station since 1974, the DGMAN statement said the maximum temperature to date was 49C based on measurement criteria.

According to an international weather site, the maximum temperature recorded this month in Muscat was 44C on May 13.