Effective Crosswind Effective PAT in Still Air
Dubai
A reasonable dataset is available for the Dubai region. Dubai is relatively well exposed to the northerly winds that tend to blow down the Gulf for much of the year. The calmest
conditions tend to occur in winter December to February when the weather systems force a weak ridge over the central and southern Gulf. Also during the passage of the ITCZ across
the region separating the northerlies from the south easterlies that tend to blow up the Gulf of Oman during the height of the SW Monsoon through the Arabian Sea. This occurs twice
- once in July as it moves northwards and again in September as it returns to the south, with a slight decrease in the number of calms in August compared to the months either side.
These calms are likely to be persistent and coincide with high wet bulb episodes.
Fujairah
This dataset looks suspicious in the fact that there is a very large variation in the number of observations from one month to the next. It is apparent that there is a relatively high
incidence of light wind episodes in the Fujairah region. During the winter months this region tends to sit under a weak ridge. During summer, the ITCZ passes over the region twice. It
tends to be sheltered from the prevailing northerly winds that blow down the Gulf proper and is far enough up the Gulf to be out of the core of the prevailing SE winds during the height of
the SW Monsoon.
Muscat
The region off Muscat has one of the best sets of wind data available. However, the port itself tends to be a little more sheltered than these data would tend to indicate as it sits in the
lee of a point to the south east that shelters it from the prevailing south easterlies during the SW Monsoon. Muscat is subject to calm conditions year round as there tends to be poor
assistance to the sea breeze from the prevailing weather patterns. The windiest months are July and August when the SW Monsoon is at its peak - assisting the SE airflow up the Gulf of
Oman. This dies away quickly with October and November being the calmest time of the year with calm conditions close to 20 of the time. During other times of the year there is
likely to be a weak pressure gradient over the region. However, on most occasions a sea breeze can be expected during the afternoon, dying out quickly at sunset.