Storm threat widens across Oman

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are set to affect a broad stretch of Oman through Thursday morning, with the Civil Aviation Authority warning that conditions could trigger flash floods in wadis, reduce visibility and roughen seas along much of the coast. The official forecast says a low-pressure trough began affecting the sultanate on Tuesday evening and will continue into the morning of April 2, extending unstable weather from northern governorates to Muscat, Sharqiyah, Al Wusta and later Dhofar.

The sharpest concern on Wednesday centres on Al Dhahirah, Al Dakhiliyah, North and South Al Sharqiyah, Al Wusta, southern parts of Muscat and mountainous areas of South Al Batinah, where rainfall is expected to vary in intensity and turn thundery at times. The authority has also flagged scattered light to moderate rain in Musandam, Al Buraimi, North Al Batinah and Dhofar, putting a wide arc of territory under watch. Winds are forecast to strengthen to between 18 and 35 knots in some areas, raising the risk of poor horizontal visibility during downpours and more forceful runoff in valleys and streams.

Official meteorology bulletins issued before the alert described a two-stage event. The first phase, beginning on the evening of March 31, covered Musandam, Al Buraimi, Al Dhahirah, North Al Batinah, Al Wusta and Dhofar, with light to moderate rainfall and limited runoff risk. The second phase, from April 1 into the morning of April 2, broadens the zone to include South Al Batinah, Muscat, Al Dakhiliyah and both Sharqiyah governorates, with thunderstorm potential and stronger winds. Sea conditions are expected to turn moderate to rough, with wave heights of two to three metres along most coasts, prompting authorities to advise against going to sea during thunderstorm activity.

The warning carries extra weight because Oman has already paid a human price during this spell of unstable weather. On March 23, floodwaters swept away vehicles in Barka and Al-Maawil, leaving at least five people dead, according to the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority in remarks reported by Reuters. That episode reinforced a recurring message from emergency officials across the Gulf: the danger often comes less from rain itself than from motorists attempting to cross wadis or low-lying flood-prone routes during fast-moving runoff.

Authorities have begun adjusting public services in response. Education officials shifted schools to distance learning on Wednesday, and local reporting indicated wider e-learning activation across affected areas as the weather window approached. The move reflects a more cautious posture than in past years, when severe storms exposed vulnerabilities in transport links, school access and local drainage systems. It also signals that officials are trying to reduce unnecessary movement while conditions remain volatile across several governorates at the same time.

Oman’s meteorological warning fits into a broader regional weather pattern that has brought unusually intense storms across parts of the Arabian Peninsula over the past week. Forecast coverage and regional reporting point to a strong low-pressure setup feeding moisture into normally dry terrain, helping produce thunderstorms, hail and flooding episodes across multiple countries. For Oman, the immediate issue is not simply the amount of rainfall forecast in any one locality, but the concentration of rain over rugged ground and drainage channels that can fill quickly, especially where soil absorption is weak and settlements sit downstream from mountain catchments.

The official impact rating attached to much of the forecast remains low to moderate, but that label can understate how quickly local conditions change once thunderstorms organise over hills or coastal corridors. Fresh winds, reduced visibility and abrupt flooding can disrupt commuting, fishing activity and cargo movement even when rainfall totals are uneven from one wilayat to the next. Muscat’s inclusion in the alert, even partly, matters because heavy weather there can affect administrative activity, schools and road traffic far beyond the areas receiving the heaviest bursts.