Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gonu Approaches Oman
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gonu continues its trek toward Oman. The latest Joint Typhoon Warning Center warning for this storm (Warning 009, issued at 0900 UTC on 4 June 2007) shows the storm tracking overland just south of Muscat near midnight UTC on 7 June (4 AM local Muscat time on 7 June) with maximum sustained 1-minute wind speed near 60 knots or 111 km/hr (based on author's interpolation of Warning 009 graphic depiction). Gonu is expected to cross the extreme northeastern Oman coastline prior to 0600 UTC on 6 June with maximum sustained 1-minute winds near 75 knots (139 km/hr) and wind gusts to 90 knots (167 km/hr).
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm GONU, Infrared Image at 0800 UTC 4 June 2007.
The Arabian Peninsula is the dark area to the left in the photo.
Photo courtesy Naval Research Lab (NRL)
At 0600 UTC on 4 June the Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated minimum pressure at the center of Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gonu to be 910 millibars (hPa) with maximum 1-minute sustained wind speed of 130 knots (241 km/hr) and gusts to 160 knots (296 km/hr), making it a Saffir-Simpson Category 4 storm. (If Gonu were in the North Pacific Ocean, it would be classified as a super typhoon.) At 0900 UTC RSMC New Delhi (the India Meteorological Department, or IMD), in Advisory 17, pegged central pressure at 934 hPa (hectopascals) with maximum sustained 10-minute surface wind speed of between 115 and 125 knots (213 - 232 km/hr), but had not yet classified Gonu as a super cyclonic storm. The IMD did note, however, that further intensification could be expected. The JTWC, on the other hand, expects a slight weakening as the storm encounters slightly cooler waters.
Gonu is obviously a very formidable storm. Residents of and travelers to northeast Oman, especially those near the coast, need to begin taking precautions immediately. This tropical cyclone could prove deadly for those not adequately prepared, but will also be beneficial for the region. See newsBriefsOman by Sue Hutton to discover the benefit Gonu could bring as well as her article The floods of March 2007 for photos of what happens when the wadis (dry stream beds, similar to arroyos in the Southwestern U.S.) overflow.
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm GONU, Visible Image at 1300 UTC 4 June 2007.
This is a potentially deadly storm with sustained winds of 140 knots.
Photo courtesy Naval Research Lab (NRL)
I'll continue to track Gonu throughout its duration in our Tropical Storm, Typhoon & Hurricane Tracking Center so you'll be able to keep up-to-date on the progress of this very significant tropical cyclone.
UPDATE: JTWC Warning 010 has just upgraded Gonu to Saffir-Simpson Category 5, the highest category tropical cyclone (by U.S. definition using maximum 1-minute sustained wind speed). Central pressure for this storm is now estimated at 898 millibars (hPa), or 26.52 inches of mercury, with maximum 1-minute sustained wind speed of 140 knots (259 km/hr). The new pressure estimate, if confirmed, may make Gonu the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean or Arabian Sea.
Technorati Tags: Cyclonic Storm Gonu, Tropical Cyclone 02A, RSMC New Delhi, JTWC, tropical cyclone
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