It’s below normal Khareef season in Salalah

Salalah: Salalah is witnessing below normal Khareef this year. The annual of Khareef (monsoon) season is hampered by two factors one is COVID-19 and the other is weather disturbance that Dhofar witnessed twice since May. The COVID-19 has taken the sheen out of the season, while the weather disturbances didn’t allow the monsoon to settle properly even though the weather disturbances brought too much rain and most of the mountains turned green. But missing is the essence of Khareef that includes the onset of the monsoon season, fresh greenery, and cool breeze everywhere, be it mountain or plains of Salalah. Even though it rained in some parts of the city on Sunday morning, the overall impact of monsoon in Salalah is below normal. The weathermen agreed that monsoon this year is below normal and cited the recent weather disturbances the reasons behind the situation. “Every rain is not monsoon rain. People got confused when the weather disturbance hit Dhofar in May. It brought too much rain to the extent of breaking the roads and overflowing of wadis (canals). The vegetation on the mountains became green to some extent, but due to lack of continuity of rains, it is not as interesting as it used to be during normal Khareef,” said a weather expert. He said the two weather disturbances did not allow monsoon situation to build up and carried away the valuable monsoon clouds that start building up in the deserts. The dryness of the weather is pinching the residents. By the end of June or the first half of July Khareef would start settling in Salalah. Till now there is no sign of Khareef in the city except for some drops here and there. Some mist is there in the mountains, but it is still hot and humid. People are puzzled over the coincidence of COVID-19, their loss in businesses, and the below normal Khareef that is not allowing them to enjoy even the beauty of nature.