Oman on alert as cyclone Gonu approaches (Cat 2/winds 102 mph now)

[uppityperson]

Source: Oman daily Observer

MUSCAT — Oman’s emergency services were placed on full alert yesterday as the Sultanate braces for one of the worst cyclonic storms ever to hit the country for many decades. Supercyclone Gonu, packing wind speeds of around 200 kilometres per hour, is said to be bearing down on Oman’s eastern seaboard and is forecast to make landfall tomorrow night. However, the approaching storm is likely to have an impact as early as this evening, unleashing heavy rains, gusting winds and tidal waves, say officials.

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"Gonu is moving in a northwesterly direction towards Oman and likely to make landfall between Masirah and Ras al Hadd by Wednesday night or Thursday morning. It is expected to bring very heavy rains and strong winds. Tidal waves along the coast can range from 4 to 10 metres. This combination of rain, wind and waves can pose a threat to low-lying areas. We expect 150mm of rain to fall over a 24-hour period as the storm makes landfall."

The tropical storm is expected to influence weather conditions as far north as Sohar on the Batinah coast. Heavy rains, squally conditions and high waves are also forecast along the Muscat coast if the storm maintains strength even after making landfall. Fishermen have been advised against venturing out to sea during the three-day storm alert. Gonu, since upgraded to a deadly Category 5 storm, will traverse diagonally towards the Sharqiya region and beyond over the Eastern and Western Hajar mountains before heading out into the Gulf of Oman from the North Batinah side. In the process, the cyclonic storm is expected to trigger turbulent weather overland across Sohar, Liwa and Shinas, particularly over the mountains.

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Tropical super-cyclone Gonu could rank among the most lethal storms to hit the Sultanate in living memory. Officials recall the last major storm recorded in 1890, which is believed to have killed some 700 people, mainly along the Gulf of Oman coast and Muscat during the reign of Turki bin Faisal.

Read more: http://www.omanobserver.com/Daily/Head/Head1.htm

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More local news and bloggers:
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/06/05/oman-tropical-cyclone-gonu-hits-oman
http://omaniidiot.blogspot.com/2007/06/cyclone-guno-to-hit-oman.html

Wunderground blogging: http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=690&tstamp=200706

Here's a map of "major energy infrastructure" & where Gonu will be




Tracking map


Sur, Oman with not much room for surge or flooding

[cliss]

1. Thanks for the update +

really nice imagery.

No wonder I'm addicted to the DU. We have the bestest and the mostest.

[uppityperson]

2. Thanks, me too. So many people looking for so much stuff to share.

Here's a bit more of the same, just did a look through varied blogs, everyone seems to be hunkered down for the night. Winds and rain in a desert bordered by mountains and ocean. Wild, hoping it goes easy for people there.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/topstories_story_156190936.html

AP) MUSCAT, Oman Thousands of people fled low-lying areas as the strongest cyclone to threaten the Arabian Peninsula in 60 years blasted Oman's eastern coast early Wednesday with strong winds and waves, Civil Defense officials said. Southern Iran and the oil-rich Persian Gulf were next in its path.

Cyclone-force winds of Gonu, which had been churning northwest through the Indian Ocean, reached the Omani coastal towns of Sur and Ra's al-Hadd. Civil Defense said the storm was dropping heavy rains on the capital, Muscat, and other nearby towns, but it was not known if the storm was causing any damage. Cyclone Gonu had weakened somewhat during the day but was still packing winds of up to 106 mph and churning up ocean waves of several feet, the officials said.

Gonu was expected to skirt the region's biggest oil installations but could disrupt shipping in the Straits of Hormuz, causing a spike in prices, oil analysts said. Oil prices rose on Monday but retreated Tuesday, although the storm weighed heavily on the market.

"If the storm hits Iran, it's a much bigger story than Oman, given how much bigger an oil producer Iran is," said Antoine Haff of FIMAT USA, a brokerage unit of Societe Generale. "At a minimum, it's likely to affect tanker traffic and to shut down some Omani oil production as a precautionary measure."...

Current picture


http://wwwa.accuweather.com/news-blogs.asp?partner=schoolnotes&blog=andrews
Gonu is now slower than had been earlier projected. The JTWC has relocated the storm track southwards (to where it had been earlier Monday). Thus, they are forecasting the storm core to hug the NE Oman coast through at least Muscat rather than veering away to the north. This would result in faster lessening of storm winds, but potentially higher winds and much higher rainfall along the NE coast, including Muscat. This latest slower timing has the storm center (weakened to a tropical storm) over Muscat late Wednesday evening, local time (rather than bearing down upon SE Iran). From here, it is 48 hours for the weakening tropical storm to reach the Straits of Hormuz.

The big question becomes that of rainfall and, especially, of heavy rainfall, westward to the Musandam Promontory and adjacent southern Iran. I shall have to wait until next shift (Wednesday) to shine more light on this.

[MetaTrope]

3. Bushie's playing with the weather machine again?

Tesla is probably spinning in his grave.

[uppityperson]

4. another story, 4-12 meter surge, though I just read winds down to around 100 mph.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2007/June/middleeast_June79.xml§ion=middleeast&col=

MUSCAT — Oman was on high alert on Tuesday as it braced itself to face the onslaught of an advancing cyclone — the worst tropical storm to hit its shores in 120 years. With the cyclone ‘Gonu’ expected to hit the Sharqiya region with full force some time past midnight, several hours earlier than earlier expected, various security, paramedic and other agencies were mobilised and put on full alert to cope with the contingency.

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A spokesman said Gonu, creating phenomenal tidal waves of between four and 12 metres in its wake and packing wind speeds ranging from 185 to 204 kilometres per hour, was likely to pound Muscat with full ferocity by 4pm on Wednesday. As a prelude to Gonu’s arrival, heavy rains and strong winds lashed most of the wilayats located on the country’s eastern coast intermittently throughout on Tuesday.

The Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and the Royal Oman Police (ROP) evacuated citizens and residents from areas likely to be affected by the cyclone to safer places. “We are also providing them food, shelter and medical services in coordination with various local authorities,” an ROP spokesman said. Also on Tuesday, 16 Bangladeshis were rescued from the sea and taken to shelters in Al Ashkara. At Ras al Hadd, seawater flooded houses affecting a number of citizens. There were also reports of power failures in several areas in the wilayat of Sur. At Shati al Qurum and Al Azaiba along the Muscat coast and in the nearby wilayat of Quriyat waves several metres high lashed the beaches, while seawater covered up to 300 metres of land at Al Hajr and Al Bustan, also in the capital.

The police have raised the alert level to ‘maximum’ and warned members of the public to take the utmost precautions. The people were told to keep flashlights and candles ready for use in case of power failure and not to park their vehicles near trees. By early on Tuesday afternoon, most of the estimated 7,000 inhabitants of Masirah had left for safety on mainland in the Sharqiya region...(more@link)

[Radio_Lady]

5. 100 MPH is still quite a blow... this area is not prepared for the wind or the water.

[Strelnikov_]

6. Lots of people living on an alluvial fan between the mountains

and the sea.

This is not going to end well.

[uppityperson]

8. pictures from a blogger

It is odd that there are few trees to blow around in the wind.

http://mydhaba.blogspot.com/
Rain has once again started downpouring all across Rusayl, Al Khoud, and Hail areas of Muscat where water from the wadis are overflowing onto the main roads. There is also diminished visibility to zero at some places which makes it difficult for drivers to see. Rain is currently ongoing. Wind speed seems to be reduced though. There are reports from other places that things are getting worser every minute but I have not come across any untoward incidences so far except that I have seen some fallen trees on the roads due to heavy winds. It seems it is wise to stay in the car at times and turn on the emergency flashers until the heavy rains subside.
http://bp1.blogger.com/_lEA3v5hUKko/RmZD_x7KtuI/AAAAAAAAAK8/PXWGM0eHyi0/s400/Overflowing+Wadis+10+across+the+road+at+0730+hours.JPG

http://bp3.blogger.com/_lEA3v5hUKko/RmZD_R7KtsI/AAAAAAAAAKs/fGve4n0RmVE/s400/Overflowing+Wadis+13+across+the+road+at+0730+hours.JPG

[RushIsRot]

7. Fortunately Brownie nor FEMA has any jurisdiction or things

would be worse.

[maddezmom]

9. Iran orders evacuation of coastal areas as cyclone hits

Iran orders evacuation of coastal areas as cyclone hits 30 minutes ago



TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran on Wednesday ordered people living on the coast or river banks in two southern provinces to move inland to escape the onslaught of one of the strongest cyclones to hit the region in years.

The interior ministry said Cyclone Gonu would strike the southern coast off the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman in the coming hours after earlier hitting Oman, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.

The southern ports of Bandar-e Jask and Chahbahar in the southern provinces of Hormorzgan and Sistan-Baluchestan were set to be the worst affected by torrential rain, possible floods and waves up to five metres (16 feet) high.

"All the residents in these provinces are kindly requested to leave the coastal areas and river banks immediately," the agency quoted a ministry statement as saying.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070606/wl_afp/gulfweathercyclone_070606083233



Thick clouds hang over Muscat before the arrival of a cyclone, 05 June 2007. Iran has ordered people living on the coast or river banks in two southern provinces to move inland to escape the onslaught of one of the strongest cyclones to hit the region in years.(AFP/Mohammed Mahjoub)

[uppityperson]

10. article& pictures from Oman

http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Oman/10130416.html
http://www.gulfnews.com/indepth/gonu/index.html
http://archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/gonu/sub_story/10130467.html
(edited to add link right above to more pictures)

Omani blogger
http://sleeplessinmuscat.blogspot.com/2007/06/updated-news-bulletin-part-9-sftermath.html

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

11. So there's a Dragon Ball in Iran, eh? No matter Bush wants to invade.

Oh, wait, that's GoNu. Never mind.