Cyclones in Oman
Cyclones only occur occasionally in Oman. On average, they happen about 2 times a year. The hardest hit regions are Muhafazat Masqat, Al Batinah and Az Zahirah.The typical cyclone season depends on the summer monsoon. In the months before (May to June) and after (October to November), the most severe storms occur.
The most severe cyclone to make landfall in Oman in the past 12 months was »Gulab:shaheen Gu«. It reached a wind speed of up to 124 km/h on October 3, 2021 at 1:00 pm local time near As Sib al Jadidah and was 7 kilometers in diameter at the time. According to the internationally accepted Saffir-Simpson classification, this corresponded to a category 1 cyclone. On the open sea, speeds of up to 130 km/h were even measured.
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Current satellite image of the Indian Ocean
20.05.2022 © CIMSS University of Wisconsin-Madison
Most violent cyclones in Oman since 2018
Gulab:shaheen Gu: 24th September to 4th October 2021
Region:
Arabian Sea
Wind speed:
max. 130 km/h
on land:
max. 124 km/h
Diameter:
max. 296 km
Eye:
max. 37 km
Air pressure:
below 974 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
Affected regions
Muhafazat Masqat
Al Batinah
Az Zahirah
Muhafazat Masqat
Al Batinah
Az Zahirah
Maha: 28th October to 11th November 2019
Region:
Arabian Sea
Wind speed:
max. 185 km/h
Diameter:
max. 185 km
Eye:
max. 56 km
Air pressure:
below 956 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 3
The cyclone did not make direct landfall. On November 05th, 2019 at 7:00 am it had the shortest distance at about 528 km southwest of Sur in Ash Sharqiyah.
Kyaar:kyarr: 22nd October to 3rd November 2019
Region:
Arabian Sea
Wind speed:
max. 241 km/h
Diameter:
max. 370 km
Eye:
max. 93 km
Air pressure:
below 922 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 4
The cyclone did not make direct landfall. On November 02nd, 2019 at 7:00 am it had the shortest distance at about 404 km south of Salalah in Zufar.
Hikaa:hikka: 20th to 26th September 2019
Region:
Arabian Sea
Wind speed:
max. 139 km/h
on land:
max. 83 km/h
Diameter:
max. 111 km
Eye:
max. 56 km
Air pressure:
below 978 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
Affected regions
Al Wusta
Al Wusta
These evaluations are based on data from the National Centers for Environmental Information of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Individual data have been summarized or translated.