Dubai/Muscat: Tropical cyclone Ashobaa intensified and moved closer to Oman on Monday afternoon but is forecast not to have any effect on UAE weather over the next three days.
“Latest satellite imagery and observations, in addition to the weather reports from the main regional centres, indicate that the tropical depression had been deepening into a tropical storm named [Ashobaa] and moved towards the north and northwest from its original position located to the east side of the Arabian Sea during the last six hours,” a weather alert from the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) read as of 4pm on Monday.
Ashobaa is located on a latitude of 17.5N & 67.5E about 960km from Masirah Island in Oman, with a surface wind speed between 60km/h and 80km/h on Monday afternoon. Ashobaa moved 10km north-northwest from its earlier position of 970km off Masira at around 12.30pm. Its surface winds also intensified from 50km/h-60km/h.
“It would continue move north-northwest and intensify further during the next 36 hours to a strong tropical storm,” the NCMS alert said.
An official from NCMS clarified that Ashobaa, which is still offshore, may not affect the UAE’s weather for the next three days. He said reports of heavy rain in Ras Al Khaimah did not have any connection with Ashobaa.
The centre will continue to monitor the weather as it is well known that things may quickly change. NCMS will issue the necessary weather alerts at the right time.
Tuesday’s weather will continue to be hazy and partly cloudy, especially over the western areas, with relative humidity increasing during night and early morning over coastal areas.
Meanwhile, in Muscat, Ashobaa is projected to move north to northwest of the Arabian Sea in the coming two days, according to a Public Authority of Civil Aviation (PACA) statement.
The statement added that there would no direct influence of the severe storm in the coming two days.
The strong winds speed around the depression centre reaching 65-74 km/h.
The statement pointed out that the predicting course of the cyclone, according to the latest updates of the National Centre for the Early Warning, that the cyclone could move north of Pakistan coasts.
The course of the cyclone can be changed at any time, says the statement.
Heavy rainfall will mostly lash the south coast of Sharqiyah governorate due to the flow of the rainy clouds of the cyclone in 48 hours.
The sea waves will be very rough, says the statement.
Khalid Al Jahawari, an expert at the Meteorology department, said that cyclone will weaken if it approaches the Omani coasts.
Al Jahawari pointed out such depressions normally occurs in June and July.
Two major cyclones have hit Oman in the past eight years — Cyclone Gonu in June 2007 and Phet in June 2010.
With inputs from Fahad Al Mukrashi, Correspondent in Muscat
