Oman braces for tropical storm

The tropical situation in the Arabian Sea, which has intensified into a storm, is expected to make a landfall in Oman on Friday.

Speaking to the Observer, an official at Oman Meteorology said the major impact of the tropical situation will be in Dhofar Governorate, though sporadic rains are expected in Al Wusta and the areas around Al Hajar Mountains.

“The Dhofar Governorate can expect sporadic rains starting from Thursday morning and following the landfall on Friday and Saturday. We are in touch with the regional meteorology centre in New Delhi, India, and monitoring the tropical condition,” he added.

The Indian Met Department (IMD), meanwhile, in a release said it expects the system to intensify into a numbered tropical cyclone and further into a named cyclone by Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

“It is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm within next six hours and into a severe cyclonic storm in subsequent 24 hours. It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and reach south Oman or southeast Yemen coasts by the morning of May 26.”

The latest weather charts from the National Multi-hazard Early Warning Centre show the development of the tropical depression on the Arabian Sea into a tropical storm with an estimated wind speed around its centre ranging from 34 knots to 40 knots located southwest of the Arabian Sea at latitude 9.5°N and longitude 57.0°E. The centre of the tropical storm is 900 km away from Salalah and the nearest mass of clouds accompanying the storm is 400 km away from Salalah.