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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

No Vayu effect on Sultanate

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MUSCAT, June 11 - Weather experts indicate that tropical storm ‘Vayu’ could turn into a tropical cyclone, even though it is unlikely to have any effect on the Sultanate. According to an update from the Public Authority of Civil Aviation on Tuesday evening, the wind speed around the centre of the tropical storm Vayu had gone up to 47-54 knots with the distance between the tropical system’s centre and Oman coasts standing at 1,400 km, and the direction being towards north nearby the western coasts of India. The weather expert at the Oman Met Office said, “Up to now the models indicate that it is moving towards India and Pakistan as it continues to head northwards.”


While some feel it might get graded up towards becoming a cyclone others feel it would continue to be in the same level as a tropical storm and then vanish once it hits the land, he added. When asked if there is a chance for the system to have an impact on Oman’s coast, he replied, “The chance of the system coming towards the Sultanate is very weak.” Meanwhile, reports from India indicate that Vayu is expected to be the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane when it slams into Gujarat in western India early on Thursday.


The warm waters of the Arabian Sea, which are currently averaging 30 degrees Celsius, will continue to allow Vayu to gradually strengthen before making a possible landfall. Winds could strengthen to as high as 165 km/hour with stronger gusts, potentially making the cyclone the equivalent strength of a Category 2 hurricane, a report said. There is still some question on where and when Vayu could make landfall. If the storm continues on its northerly route, then the southwestern coast of Gujarat could see landfall as soon as Wednesday evening. But if the storm begins to track a little more to the west, then it may actually stay just off the coast of western Gujarat and continue to head towards southwestern Pakistan later in the week.


The tropical storm intensified into a severe cyclonic storm (the equivalent of a strong tropical storm in the northern Pacific and Atlantic oceans). Residents of western and central Gujarat should be making preparations for Vayu to slam onshore as an even stronger severe cyclonic storm early on Thursday morning, local time (early Wednesday night). The India Meteorological Department is forecasting a 1 to 1.5-metre storm surge, on top of normal astrological tides, for coastal Maharashtra and Gujarat states. Most of the heavy rain will remain off shore, but as the storm nears Gujarat, rain showers are likely to come onshore across the Kathiawar peninsula, a relatively mountainous area where flash flooding and mudslides could occur.


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