BBC: Thousands flee Oman storm threat [strongest to hit the Arabian Peninsula since 1945]

BBC ^ | Tuesday, 5 June 2007, 11:57 GMT 12:57 UK | BBC Staff

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thousands flee Oman storm threat

Muscat residents evacuated as storm clouds gathered

An unusually powerful cyclone has begun battering the coast of Oman with winds of 160mph (260 km/h) and large waves.

The centre of Tropical Cyclone Gonu is heading north-west through the Indian Ocean towards Oman's east coast.

Thousands of residents of coastal regions and the low-lying offshore island of Masirah have been evacuated.

People elsewhere have been told to stay indoors, while schools and public building have been emptied to make room for the evacuees.

The most powerful part of the storm was expected to hit Oman on Thursday, before moving north across the Gulf to Iran.

"It is expected to increase in the coming few hours accompanied by thunderstorms and heavy rainfalls as the cyclone crosses the sultanate," the official news agency of the wealthy oil-exporter said, quoting police.

Reports say Cyclone Gonu is expected to be the strongest to hit the Arabian Peninsula since records started in 1945.

While crossing the Indian Ocean on Monday it reached the equivalent of a Category Five hurricane - the highest category available.

[Marine_Uncle]

Looks like the actual straight area may not be effected based on this maps projections. Time of the day, local tidal movements all effect where the bulk of warmer water will reside, especially in less deep areas as one approaches the main land mass on either side. In any case, it sure is going to put a hurting on the movement of shipping for a day or so.

[buffyt]

Bush’s fault! women. children, & the poor hardest hit.

[TexanToTheCore]

There may be some serious flooding in Iran. Could be big.

[Marine_Uncle]

The ghost storm of the century! Phantoms appearing out of no where and sinking ships. Oil per barrel raises to $1000/barrel.
American demorat dimwits swear this is all contrived by Rove, and swear they will follow Hildebeast's lead in severly punishing American Oil Companies. All their profits will have to be given to the downtrodden masses,lame and halt.
Little Johny Edward swears he will step aside in his bid for POTUS and run as VP under big John Hanoi Kerry. Kerry is known to be able to make the sick rise and regain their health.
And it is believed he can get us through this most perilouse of times.
George Herbert Bush has been seen to yet again turn his head while Billy Jefferson Clinton, moves his golf balls out of the rough, after all the best of friends must not be seen as being critical of each other.
Meanwhile the Iraqi major civil war is burning on with no end in sight. This horrible civil war has claimed another three people blown into tiny bits by a suicide bomber Hell bent of achieving his 72 dried up Assyrian variatal grapes.
Putin decides he shall resurrect the former KGB to it's formal position, and offer no explaination other then the cartels must be smashed. China is possed to build yet another nuclear carrier with the funds it has available from selling huge amounts of junk to Wall Mart, Home Depot, and Lowes.

[NYer]

Latest images ...

Cyclone reaches Omani coast

[KC Burke]

Here is the answer to my dust question...bloggers say the the storm is getting smothered by the dust and dry air and down to 100 knots.

.

But what a picture

.

[abseaman]

You didn’t list the USNS vessels

[Bigh4u2]

http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/000476.html

The storm is tracking through the Middle East..

Are you aligned with Al Qaeda? How about Zargawi? Iran?

No? Then what’s your problem?

Lighten up lucy. The world doesn’t revolve around you!!

[listenhillary]

Dust + hurricane force wind = everything covered in mud

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

Would help in Iraq.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I take it as a “Gift From GOD”...;0)

[listenhillary]

Very lightly populated area.

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

I can't find much on the size of those towns,,,still lookin',,,This map shows water depth,,,shallow,,,it's pretty flat ground for aways back from the coast(Google Earth),,,gotta be a big storm-surge like Katrina,,,20ft. +

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

BOMBS AWAY...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roger Dat...;0)

[steve86]

A lot of sand could shift about and perhaps knock off a few fantoms in critical channel areas, in the narrower parts of the straight.

Good point, hadn't thought of that.

But it may be losing strength. One of the latest comments on StormVista:

"Gonu starting to spin down a fair bit. I would imagine it won't have hurricane strength when it strikes land".

And it may miss the gulf and strait altogether.

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

You didn’t list the USNS vessels
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Navy.mil is all I got rite now(hard drive crash),,,
The only ones that can’t get out of the way is the iranian
navy,,,;0)

[steve86]

Thing is though, even if the cyclone were to disappear at this moment, five days (at least) of transportation through the strait and loading at the ports has been disrupted. It is very tough to recover that.

[NRA2BFree]

Is oil up to $400/barrel yet?

Thank you, oh-so much, FRiend. As I was reading the article I was thinking about how many crazy Muzzies would be affected by this storm, and was rather enjoying the thought........until I read your post. LOL Now, you've ruined it for me. ;o)

[steve86]

958.8 mb is the latest I see. That’s not really all that low.

[A CA Guy]

Are all the Muslims coming out to say this is a sign from God against Islam the same way they claimed other storms were signs against western cultures and Christianity?

[NRA2BFree]

Are those ships all in the way? IF so, could they ride out a storm this bad?