Weather locations in Oman

Oman occupies the south-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, and its climate runs from a hot desert interior to a Mediterranean-flavoured northern tip and a surprisingly cool, green south-west. Three things set it apart: the monsoon that reaches the south coast, the mountains that cut off the highlands from the desert, and the wadis that turn from dry channels into floods within hours of rain. It is one of the hottest countries in the world on average, though the hottest conditions are inland rather than on the coast.

Main climate types

Three zones are usually distinguished. The interior, including the Rub al Khali and the Wahiba Sands, is a hot desert climate with almost no rain. The Musandam peninsula in the north has a Mediterranean-type climate with winter rain and mild summers. The south-west around Salalah is the exception: the south-west monsoon from June to September brings heavy orographic rainfall to the Jebel Dhofar, turning the coast green.

Temperatures

Muscat's monthly means run from about 20 °C in January to about 32 or 33 °C in July. The pattern elsewhere is of extreme daily swings: summer afternoons are oven-hot while the nights cool dramatically, and even in the desert the winter nights near the dunes drop to single figures. The Dhofar coast, sheltered by its mountains, stays near 25 °C in the hottest month.

Rainfall

Rainfall is minimal almost everywhere. Muscat records about 100 mm a year and the interior deserts perhaps 25 mm or less, though the wadis can flood after a single heavy storm. Salalah is the wettest part, taking perhaps 50 to 100 mm a year, virtually all of it between June and September, with humidity above 80 per cent during those months. The eastern Hajar mountains also receive autumn rain.

When to go

From November to March is the best time to visit, when daytime temperatures in the capital sit in the low twenties and the nights are cool enough for outdoor activity. The hot season from May to September is difficult outside the mountains, though the Dhofar coast is pleasant during the monsoon. The Khareef season draws visitors to Salalah for its humid green landscape and can be rough on coastal roads.