Cyclone Mekunu slams Oman and Yemen, killing at least six – Up to eight years’ worth of rainfall fell in three days – “It was a scary feeling, as if it was the end of world”

Desdemona Despair

By Eric Zerkel
27 May 2018

(The Weather Channel) – Tropical Cyclone Mekunu made landfall overnight Saturday in Oman as a Category 3 hurricane equivalent storm, dumping more than two years’ worth of rain in a single day on one of the country’s most populous cities and killing at least four people there after killing at least two others on the Yemeni island of Socotra.

Saturday night’s landfall near Salalah brought winds well in excess of 100 MPH to Oman’s third largest city, making Mekunu one of the strongest tropical cyclones on record to make landfall in Oman.

So far, at least 6 people have been killed in Oman and on the Yemeni island of Socotra, where at least 30 others are still missing.

“It was a scary feeling, as if it was the end of world,” Mohammed Omer Baomer, of Oman, told the Associated Press. “You can’t even go outside. You try to watch from the window and you can’t.”

The Royal Oman Police said that a 12-year-old girl was killed when the storm threw a door into her head, an Asian laborer died in a flooded valley and an Omani national died when his vehicle was swept away. Oman’s National Committee for Civil Defense announced a fourth death early Sunday, but didn’t provide any additional details.

That flooding was brought on by nearly 11 inches of rain in 24 hours near Salalah, PACA, Oman’s official meteorological organization tweeted. The area only averages 5 inches of rain a year, according to Weather Underground’s Bob Henson. In addition, more than 24 inches of rainfall was reported here in just four days.

As a result, water overflowed from wadis, the normally dry valley, ravines or channels, and chunks of roads were washed away. The Times of Oman reported that dozens of people had to be rescued from vehicles trapped in the floodwaters and at least 27 more had to be rescued from flooded homes. [more]

Cyclone Mekunu Slams Oman and Yemen, Killing at Least 6

By Eric Leister
27 May 2018

(AccuWeather) – Former Tropical Cyclone Mekunu left a path of destruction from Socotra to Oman and Yemen.

As of Sunday, 40 people still remained missing on Socotra Island and at least 10 people have been killed in the path of the storm.

One of the most impressive stats from the storm is the tremendous amount of rainfall it produced, in a part of the world that is known as one of the driest.

Locations around Salalah were hardest hit by the storm with hurricane-force winds and nearly a decade’s worth of rain within a few days.

Even several days after moving into the rugged and dry terrain of the southern Arabian Peninsula, a defined storm system can still be seen spinning over far southern Saudi Arabia on this satellite image from Sunday.

Rainfall reports of 300-600 mm (12-24 inches) of rain around Salalah have caused towns and roadways to be under more than 1 meter (3 feet) of water and turned parched landscapes into raging rivers and waterfalls.

While that amount in almost any location around the world would be extreme and likely result in widespread devastation, Salalah only averages around 80 mm (3.1-3.2 inches) of rain per year.

So one tropical system resulted in 4 to 8 years worth of rainfall for the region, and this rain fell in only about three days. [more]

Deadly Tropical Cyclone Mekunu brings up to 8 years worth of rainfall to parts of Oman