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Cyclone off Oman could affect weather in UAE

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NCMS representative said the storm had moved towards the North and Northwest from its original position located to the East side of the Arabian Sea.

Published: Wed 10 Jun 2015, 1:25 AM

Updated: Wed 25 Sep 2024, 2:48 PM

  • By
  • Kelly Clarke/staff Reporter

Dubai - A tropical depression over the Arabian Sea, which is edging closer towards Oman’s coastline, is set to deepen over the next 36 hours. However, UAE forecasters say they cannot yet determine if it will directly affect weather here.

Surface wind speeds peaked at between 60 and 80km/h during the afternoon hours on Monday. Forecasters said due to the quick changing nature of such weather cases, it will continue to monitor its progress, alerting those concerned if required.

As yet, the tropical depression has not affected weather in the UAE.

“Latest satellite imagery and observations, in addition to weather reports from the main regional centres, indicate that the tropical depression had been deepening into (a) tropical (storm) named Ashobaa,” the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) said.

In its latest statement to Khaleej Times, an NCMS representative said the storm had moved towards the North and Northwest from its original position located to the East side of the Arabian Sea “during the last six hours”. “(It is) currently located on a latitude of 17.5 north and 67.5 east, about 960km from Masirah Island (in) Oman.”

Hazy and partly cloudy weather in the UAE is expected to continue today. The NCMS said it does not yet know if, and to what extent, the storm will affect the country in the coming days.

“NCMS will keep watching this weather case. It is well known that such cases are quickly changeable, and NCMS will update the ... news of this case at the right time.”

Oman braces for cyclone

Meanwhile, Oman has braced itself for what appears to be the season’s first cyclone. An advisory issued by Oman’s Directorate General of Meteorology and Air Navigation underlined the possibility of the weather system intensifying into a tropical storm as it moves in a north-northwestwards direction. Citing computational analysis provided by the National Multi Hazard Early Warning System, the Met Office said the storm could track north towards the Pakistan coast with its influence being felt along parts of Omani coast along the Sea of Oman all the way down to the east coast.

Also on Monday, India’s Skymet, a private meteorological service, reported that the weather system, initially named ‘Tropical Cyclone 01A’, had intensified into a cyclonic storm with wind speeds gusting at up to 90km/h. It further warned that the depression had the potential to ramp up into a severe cyclonic storm over an ensuing 36-hour timeframe. -kelly@khaleejtimes.com



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