Cyclone moving towards Oman, Yemen

The cyclone storm in the Arabian Sea is moving towards the coast of Oman and Yemen in Western Asia.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the depression over south-west Arabian Sea moved north-westwards with a speed of 11 kmph and intensified into a deep depression and lay centered over south-west Arabian Sea near latitude 9.2 0N and longitude 57.2 0E, about 520 km southeast of Socotra Islands and 930 km south-southeast of Salalah (Oman).

It is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm during next 24 hours and into a severe cyclonic storm in subsequent 24 hours. It is very likely to move northwestwards and reach south Oman/south-east Yemen coasts by 26 May 2018 morning, a forecast of the IMD-New Delhi, said, about Cyclone Mekunu.

Meanwhile, the Regional Meteorological Observatory (RMD) of the IMD-Mumbai, has maintained fishermen and port warning along the Maharashtra-Goa coast.

"The convective bands in the cloud configuration suggest a very well marked low-level cyclonic circulation. The environmental analysis indicates strong pole-ward and equator-ward flow, suggesting the power of the system and its likely intensification," according to Skymet Weather.

The sea surface temperatures are very warm at 31 and 32 degrees Celsius and the vertical wind sheer is light to moderate which is providing complete support for further intensification. The steering current of the cyclone is suggesting its initial movement which is west northwestward then going northwestward finally going north-northwestward.

The system is expected to strike North Yemen and South Oman as a severe cyclonic storm between morning and evening hours of May 26. The system will be at its peak intensity before the landfall and is likely to make landfall near Salalah in Oman. Thereafter, the system will possibly weaken before making a landfall as a Cat 1 storm.