Dangerous Arabian Sea storm 'Mekunu,' which is now a very severe cyclone, is peaking in strength and intensity as it lay 475 km South-South-East of Salalah, Oman, this morning. 

It is expected to cross the coast between South-East Yemen and South Oman with wind speed reaching up to 150-160 km/hr in strength and gusting to 180 km/hr on the day after. 

500 km off Salalah

The Directorate-General of Meteorology, Oman, said in its outlook early this morning that the cyclone lay 500 km away from Salalah city, capital. The nearest convective clouds to Sadah coasts city were 40 km with surface wind speed ranging between (126 km/hr to 144 km/hr.

Latest maps and numerical weather prediction charts show that the tropical cyclone will soon intensify to category-2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale of 1 to 5 for storm intensity. 

Convection (cloud-building) would continue with isolated rain and the centre of the cyclone will approach Dhofar and Al Wusta coasts today and tomorrow. This would lead to very heavy thundershowers associated with strong gale winds. The sea state will be rough along Dhofar and Al-Wusta coasts.

Maximum wave heights are expected to be 5.0-8.0 metres, while being 'rough' along South Al-Sharqiya coasts with maximum wave height between 3.0-4.0 metres. 

Heavy rain, high winds

'Mekunu' would bring heavy rain and high winds to strong gale over Dhofar and al-Wusta governorates tomorrow. The sea will be 'very rough' along the coast of Dhofar, al-Wusta and South al-Sharqiya with maximum wave height from 5-8 metres.

Extended forecast for the day after, when 'Mekunu' would make a landfall, said that cloudy skies, heavy rain and high wind to strong gale-force winds are likely. The sea will be 'very rough' along the coast of Dhofar, al-Wusta and South al-Sharqiya with maximum wave height from 5-8 metres.

International flights passing over the Western Arabian Sea saw a number of aircraft taking evasive action from the raging cyclone as they flew to the South-West over Oman. 

A 12 noon IST scan showed Dubai-Capetown (Emirates); Sharjah-Nairobi (Air Arabia); Doha-Johannesburg; and Doha-Sao Paulo negotiating the periphery of the massive cyclone. 

Monsoon onset

Back home, India Met Department (IMD) has said that the South-West monsoon may enter the South Andaman Sea over the next two days. 

It seems to be waiting for the very severe cyclone 'Mekunu' to make a landfall over Oman so that its 'pull' over the larger monsoon system reduces significantly by Saturday morning. 

But satellite pictures showed intense and active clouds building over the Sri Lankan coast in typical monsoon fashion, promising continued heavy rain for the island nation. 

Another band of heavy clouding was moving into the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, with the seas to its South-East infested with a line of thunderheads rising into the skies. 

IMD has indicated that pilot rains would start lashing the Kerala and Karnataka coasts from today and tomorrow ahead of the monsoon onset on May 29.