Oman’s Khareef starts from June 21

Muscat: The Khareef season in Oman’s Dhofar region’s will start from June 21, when the summer solstice happens. Dhofar region, with the monsoon drizzle already making its appearance, will transform completely during the Khareef season in July and August.

A solstice occurs when the sun’s zenith is at its furthest point from the equator. In the June solstice, it reaches its northernmost point with Earth’s North Pole, tilting directly towards the sun, at about 23.4 degrees. It’s also known as the northern solstice because it occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere.

The pre-monsoon showers have already started in Salalah and the nearby towns since last week. As per the weather report published by Oman Meteorology, the partly cloudy skies in and around Dhofar region will lead to intermittent drizzle with a warning on low visibility. Rough seas have also been predicted with wave rising to over 4 metres in height.

The maximum temperature recorded in Salalah stood at 30 degrees Celsius, which will gradually come down as the Khareef season progresses. Rains and thunderstorms lashed parts of Hajar mountain ranges and the nearby towns yesterday with chances of the same continuing today as well, as per MET predictions.