Image 5Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu was an extremely powerful
tropical cyclone that became the strongest cyclone on record in the
Arabian Sea. The second named tropical cyclone of the
2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Gonu developed from a persistent area of
convection in the eastern Arabian Sea on June 1, 2007. With a favorable upper-level environment and warm
sea surface temperatures, it
rapidly intensified to attain peak winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) on June 4, according to the
India Meteorological Department. Gonu weakened after encountering dry air and cooler waters, and early on June 6, it made
landfall on the easternmost tip of
Oman, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the
Arabian Peninsula. It then turned northward into the
Gulf of Oman, and dissipated on June 7, after making landfall in southern
Iran, the first landfall in the country since 1898.
Intense tropical cyclones like Gonu are extremely rare in the Arabian Sea, and most storms in this area tend to be small and dissipate quickly. The cyclone caused 50 deaths and about $4.2 billion in damage (2007 USD) in Oman, where the cyclone was considered the nation's worst natural disaster. Gonu dropped heavy rainfall near the eastern coastline, reaching up to 610 mm (24 inches), which caused flooding and heavy damage. In Iran, the cyclone caused 28 deaths and $216 million in damage (2007 USD). (
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