Rare fog envelopes most of northern Oman

Muscat: Thick fog has enveloped many parts of northern Oman for almost a week, according to Oman’s Meteorology Department.

“Visibility will be low of less than 1,000 metres due to fog on Wednesday in the coastal areas of the Oman Sea, Buraimi, Dhahira, Wusta and South Sharqiyah governorates during night to early morning,” said the department.

The heavy fog disrupted traffic in Barka, Khabourah, Saham, Musanah and Sohar this week, according to the Royal Oman Police (ROP).

The meteorology department has predicted fog formation in the coming two days.

ROP has warned motorists to drive safely.

Pictures and video footage of roads covered with rare fog have gone viral on social media platforms.

Salim Al Hinai, a traffic expert, earlier told Gulf News that motorists should be cautious while driving due to the poor visibility.

“Motorists should slow down, use headlights, keep a distance and avoid changing lanes,” said Al Hinai.

Meanwhile, the National Ferry Company (NFC) has cancelled trips between January 5 and 7 due to unstable weather conditions, according to an announcement issued on its official Twitter handle.

“Ferry services between Muscat and Khasab, and vice-versa, and Khasab-Lima-Khasab and Shinas-Daba-Khasab were cancelled due to bad weather.

“The sea is expected to be rough, with a height of three metres, accompanied with wind speeds of 30 knots per hour,” said the announcement.

The cold spell in Oman has brought temperatures to 6 degrees Celsius in parts of the Hajar mountain range.

Temperatures in Muscat and Seeb hovered between 25 and 19 degrees Celsius.