Oman: Snow falls on Jebel Shams, recording sub-zero temperature
Winter has arrived on Oman’s mountainous terrain with snowfall and freezing temperatures.
Snow fell on Jebel Shams in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate on Monday evening. The temperature on Oman’s tallest mountain plummeted under minus 2°C, with frozen vegetation clinging to its rocky peaks.
Oman’s meteorology department said the lowest temperature recorded in the past 24 hours from its Jebel Shams station was minus 2.1°C.
Standing slightly higher than 3,000m, Jebel Shams and the adjoining Jebel Akhdhar are the coldest places in the sultanate where the temperature can be as low as minus 5°C in winter and is rarely above 40°C in summer.
Some towns on higher ground can become isolated during the winter months as the harsh conditions of ice and snow make the area hard to reach.
“We stock up well for the months between January and March because transportation is difficult up here,” Jebel Shams resident Hashim Al Riyami said. Maintaining contact with the outside world can also be problematic, he said, as communication towers become covered by snow.
