Gulf | Oman
Cyclone Gonu weakens towards Iran
Tropical Cyclone Gonu waned further as it moved towards Iran through the Gulf of Oman, but is likely to skirt the Strait of Hormuz, forecasters said on Thursday.
- Agencies
- Published: 00:00 June 7, 2007
Dubai: Tropical Cyclone Gonu waned further as it moved towards Iran through the Gulf of Oman, but is likely to skirt the Strait of Hormuz, forecasters said on Thursday.
Gonu is now classified as a tropical storm. It hit a maximum-force Category Five hurricane on Tuesday and downgraded to a Category One hurricane early on Wednesday.
The storm's maximum sustained wind speed is now about 113 kilometres per hour, according to a report posted on the US military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
"The storm will continue to weaken in an increasingly hostile upper level environment and dissipate below tropical cyclone intensity over land after making landfall," the US Navy said in its latest forecast.
The centre of the storm is expected to hit land in southeastern Iran over the next few hours.
Shipping and port sources said earlier that operations through the Strait of Hormuz continued without disruption, as the storm looked set to miss the major shipping channel.
Gonu had forced Oman to suspend its oil and gas exports, ground its national carrier and shut down its international airport on the northern coast, said the Weather Underground web site.
Oil and gas exports in Oman remain suspended. Shipping and port sources were not immediately available for comment.
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