Tornado and thunderclouds hit this part of Oman

Muscat: The Wilayat of Ja'alan Bani Bu Ali in South Al Sharqiyah Governorate witnessed a tornado along with thunderclouds on Saturday.

"As a rare meteorological phenomenon in the Sultanate's airspace, this afternoon a type of tornado associated with huge thunderclouds were witnessed in the Wilayat of Ja'alan Bani Bu Ali," Oman Meteorology said in a statement.

In its alert for the day, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had stated South Al Sharqiyah, North Al Sharqiyah, and parts of Muscat, Al Dakhiliyah and Al Wusta Governorates were expected to witness heavy thundershowers which might range between 20 mm to 75 mm .

CAA had added that the expected impacts of the rainfall were:

i). Heavy rainfall expected to range between 20-75 mm may cause flash floods in Wadis.

ii). Strong downdrafts with speed of 28-64 km/hr and poor horizontal visibility due to dust rising during thundershowers.