With record breaking temperatures being experienced across parts of the Middle East and Central Asia throughout the last month, there is every evidence that the extreme heat is not abating. Not only are national maximum temperatures continue to be broken but a world record for the highest minimum temperature for the first half of May was recorded at Khasab Airport in Oman – 38.5C, only to be beaten by a temperature of 39.1C in Khasab town in the next 24 hour period. Khasab sits to the very north of the country as a gateway to the Musandam Peninsula.
The highest day time temperature in Oman on Monday 5th May was at Sohar station on the northern coast with 47.1C being reached.
The town of Quiryat further south along the coast of the Oman holds the world record for the highest minimum temperature of 42.6C set on 28 June 2018 over a 24-hour period from local midnight to midnight. Khasab Airport holds the world record for the highest overnight (12-hour) high-minimum temperature: 44.2C on 17 June 2017.
MODIS satellite image from 26 June 2018
The region along the Gulf of Oman experiences some of the highest temperatures in the world, largely due to the Gulf itself being one of the warmest bodies of water globally, with surface temperatures often reaching 30°C. This extreme heat results from the combination of scorching air radiating from the Arabian Peninsula and warm, humid air rising from the Gulf. When these elements converge, they produce an exceptionally high heat index — a measure of how hot the air feels when humidity is combined with actual temperature. Moreover, the high humidity inhibits significant nighttime cooling, resulting in extremely warm overnight lows.
