It is a great coincidence that the monsoon (khareef) touched Salalah just a day before the season, which as per the official calendar, starts on June 21 and continues till the end of August.
This coincidence was seen last in 2018 when the actual monsoon and start of the official khareef calendar met precisely on June 21.
An official from the Met Office said that the monsoon almost touched Salalah on Saturday. It will keep on building in the coming days.
On Sunday morning, the city witnessed light drizzling, the background for which was created some 20 days before when the hovering clouds started touching the mountains, humidity built up, and Salalah received its first pre-monsoon rain on June 8.
Salalah’s greenery is a phenomenon that is associated with the advent of khareef. The pre-monsoon rain and drizzling on the mountains have advanced the greenery process at least by 20 days.
There may not be many visitors from outside due to Covid-19 pandemic, but the nature would be there for them to welcome, as and when things get normal.
Under the impact of early morning drizzle, the temperature in Salalah has come down to 28 degrees, which is likely to come down further in the coming days, depending on the mood of the monsoon.
During peak of the khareef Salalah gets many natural waterfalls and overflowing springs offer enchanting views in all the four directions.
Since the impact of the monsoon is more on the mountains, it becomes difficult for the camels to walk on a slippery slope. Their owners bring them to the plains for the entire season.
The residents of mountain villages of Itin, Qairun Hariti, Zeik, Hagif, Gadau, Titam, Al San, Madinat al Haq and Tawi Atir etc, have started bringing their camels on Salalah plains and keeping them inside the enclosures in Itin or any other area suitable to them.
Had there been no pandemic, Salalah would have been a hub of cultural, official and social events. Everyone is waiting for the pandemic to go and indulge in the beauty of Salalah this time around.
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