Cyclone Gonu batters the Arabian Peninsula by Sean Batty
A super cyclone, named Gonu, approached the Arabian Peninsula with winds reaching an estimated 155mph and producing very heavy rain. The tropical storm peaked to a maximum force Category Five system on Tuesday, before it was downgraded to a category One storm. As Gonu hit the Arabian Peninsula it weakened slightly with sustained winds of around 92 mph.
By this morning the storm had reached the Omani coastal towns of Sur and Ras al Hadd, which were battered by wind and rain. Muscat, the Omani capital, had been hit by heavy rain, and storm surges associated with the cyclone had raised sea levels.
Gonu began in the middle of the Arabian Sea and started on a northwesterly track towards the Arabian peninsula. Even with weaker winds, Gonu would be the strongest cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula since 1945.
As Gonu further approaches the dry, desert areas, its strength will diminish rapidly.
The centre of the storm is now expected to hit land in southeastern Iran over the next 36 hours, but it is expected to have significantly weakened by then.
|
|
