Oman Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Muscat, Seeb, Salalah, Bawshar, and Sohar
Summary
Oman experienced an extraordinarily warm start to summer in 2026, culminating in its 5th warmest May–July period on record. Mean temperatures soared well above historical baselines as intense atmospheric heating pushed daytime temperatures close to 50°C across interior desert regions and northern lowlands. While coastal monsoonal winds brought localized moisture, relentless summer heat dominated the wider Sultanate, with temperatures expected to remain elevated into early autumn.
This month in numbers
The average temperature reached 34.36°C in July 2026, placing the month 1.1°C above the 1961–1990 baseline as the 6th warmest on record since 1940. This capped an exceptionally hot three-month stretch from May through July, which averaged 34.24°C, a 1.3°C anomaly that stands as the 5th highest on record for the season. Oman's severe heat aligned with broader global climate trends, as the global land temperature reached 15.8°C for the month, its 3rd highest reading on record, while the global May–July average ranked 2nd warmest overall.
What changed
The persistent summer heat fits into a broader long-term warming trend in Oman, where temperatures have risen by +1.13°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The sultanate recorded its warmest year on record in 2024 at 28.81°C, followed by a warm 2025 that averaged 28.29°C to become the 7th warmest year overall. Across international comparisons, Oman ranked 190th out of 232 tracked regions for its single-month anomaly and 120th for its three-month anomaly, reflecting more standard tropical summer anomalies relative to the extreme heatwaves seen across western Europe.
What’s driving change?
The elevated temperatures across the Arabian Peninsula are heavily influenced by regional climate mechanisms, particularly where prevents evaporative cooling and allows intense solar radiation to bake the arid terrain. Because surfaces, the vast interior desert heats rapidly during high-pressure summer setups, intensifying heatwaves across the region. All of Oman's 1 flood this year happened in the past month, monitored on our live map at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal climate outlooks from Oman's Civil Aviation Authority project that above-average temperatures and below-normal rainfall will persist across most governorates through late summer and early autumn.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – Oman
Köppen BWh · AridOman has a arid climate (Köppen BWh: Hot desert), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. June is typically the warmest month, averaging 34.6°C, while January is the coldest at 20.3°C. Annual precipitation averages around 92mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly precipitation.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Oman
Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Oman
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Oman
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Oman
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – Oman
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen BWh · AridOman has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±7.4°C) and a wet/dry cycle (14× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: May (+20 mm, +1864%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Oman
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Oman changing?
Oman is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
What is the climate like in Oman?
Oman has a arid climate (Köppen BWh: Hot desert), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. June is typically the warmest month, averaging 34.6°C, while January is the coldest at 20.3°C. Annual precipitation averages around 92mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Oman come from?
Climate data for Oman comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Oman climate data cover?
The Oman climate profile covers Muscat, Seeb, Salalah, Bawshar and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Oman
How often is the Oman climate update refreshed?
The Oman climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Oman climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the Oman climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.