Here it comes. Cyclone Thet heading north over Sur, Heavy rain in Muscat. May beat Gonu for total rainfall...

Joint Typhoon Warning Center update from 12pm Muscat time Friday.

Well readers. The latest news is as expected - Cyclone Phet has continued to go north, and right now (about 1pm Friday) the eye of the cyclone should be a few hours away from passing over Sur and heading out to sea.


This means the wind should peak here in Muscat around 6-9pm this evening. Heavy rain, though surprisingly still relatively mild winds, is in progress in Muscat.

The rain meanwhile will just keep coming, possibly into Sunday morning. So while things look OK now, this is temporary (as we saw during Gonu) as the ground saturates and the run-off from the mountains moves down, expect flooding in low lying areas and essentially anywhere it flooded during Gonu.

McDonalds in Qurm was still bravely pumping out the burgers late this morning. During Gonu it ended up 10 feet underwater, so this is rather brazen!

Main thing will be if power can be maintained, as this will impact availability of water and AC. Though thankfully the temperature is a lot cooler than when Gonu hit right now, By Monday it'll be HOT.

I haven't heard how bad it got in Sur yet. Anyone in Sur encouraged to give us a comment update (please state time/date).

Meanwhile I'm drinking champagne and watching the weather from a high and dry vantage point. If the power goes though my internet will go out...

Cyclone Phet... come on down! New prediction says... here she comes.

Models. Computer models that is*.

Never better than a good guess. Latest update has Cyclone Phet missing that well sign posted right hand turn rather badly (hey, it's in Oman after all!) and sliding on through to, errr, here.

Yes, here!




Luckily, by taking the direct route, that giant-air-sucker Phet will be sucking sand rather than moist warm sea air, and will then have to cross the formidable barrier of the Oman Mountains, before heading off to Pakistan.

So, prepare as previously advised: rain and moderate to strong winds. Possibly accompanied by power cuts. It's coming this way.


* Nothing wrong with models per se (in a GQ-Victoria's Secret-esque sense. Those models, well, I confess Muscat Confidential remains a fan) See below, as purchased from a public book store in Oman a few days ago.

actually, the version in the mag was a LOT racier... But this gives you an idea. So much for press censorship in Oman eh?

Photo: Not all models are bad readers, at least in a 'bad' way. See the latest GQ on sale at a bookshop near you.

Rain in Oman, and work restarts in Bar Al Jissa

Bar Al Jissa Update
Real estate investors will be pleased to know construction work has recommenced in Bar Al Jissa's cliff-top villas and apartments. My sources tell me Sheikh Zubair got involved and ... no surprise, everything got sorted out. Ah, the joys of wasta.

The expat architect, construction and project managers - who had previously ignored several instructions to stop work, until they had their passports confiscated - have had their passports returned. And so the blue smurfs are now slaving away again.

Weather - we've finally got some
Isn't the rain beautiful? Just when it normally starts getting really hot as summer starts to arrive, we've instead had several days of cloudy, cooler weather, and today and tomorrow we're expecting lots of rain, lightening and even perhaps some hail! But it is NOT a cyclone. Here's the latest sat pic, and you can see there's nothing of note around Oman. Its just a standard low pressure front.



The Government has closed the schools in Muscat, and given Government employees 2 days off. Yes folks, rain is a cause for celebration in Oman. It does seem the authorities have learned some lessons from Cyclone Gonu, (except that the press are still reporting that only 49 deaths occured, when we all know the real death toll was well over 500, possibly even up to 2000).

You may want to try and protect your car over the next 2 days. The hail may be big enough to cause nasty dents...

Schools in Oman closed on Tuesday following hailstorm warning
Published: March 30, 2009, 16:48

Muscat: Oman is bracing for a hailstorm and rains as hospitals are put on stand by and educational institutions given a day off on Tuesday.
"It is not a serious matter, but looking at our country's topography we are taking precautions," Lt Col Azhar Al Kindy, a member of the National Committee for Civil Defence (NCCD), told Gulf News on Monday. He said the bad weather that hit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE is heading towards Oman.

Due to its mountainous region, Oman's wadis (valleys) overflow even with slightly moderate rain, therefore the authorities are not taking any chances.

"We have been advised by the Education Ministry to close our educational institutions," Abraham Mathews, Advisor to the Indian Schools Board, told Gulf News on Monday. Barring the school in Salalah, all other 14 Indian schools have declared Tuesday as a holiday.

Lt Col Al Kindy said the decision to declare school holidays was taken by the Education Ministry as a precaution.

Oman had suffered extensive damage and 49 people had died when tropical cyclone Gonu stuck its eastern coast and Muscat in June 2007. At that time, precautionary measures taken by the NCCD had controlled the damage, but flooding from the mountain had caused much damage and loss of lives.

This time there is no storm coming, but hails and rains could again cause havoc by flooding wadis and low-lying areas thus authorities are on guard. Explaining the cause for the expected hailstorm and rains, Abdullah Rashid of Meteorological Office IN Muscat said: "North westerly disturbance and low pressure over Arabian Peninsula will bring rains as well as possible hailstorm." He forecast moderate rainfall, but accompanied by hailstorm for Tuesday as well as Wednesday.

It probably won't be as spectacular as the lightening show in Dubai a couple of days ago.



'Course, we don't have a half kilometer high lightening attractor in Muscat!

Oman through to a classic final against the old enemy: Saudi

It's the final we all wished for - as long as we win: us vs. RSA.


Tomorrow, at 6pm, Oman play Saudi in the regional Gulf football cup final. Its a big deal. And it'll be a nail biter game.

Oman got through their semi against Qatar thanks to the amazing Al Habsi. The team played pretty well.


Photo: Oman beat Qatar to face Saudi

In the other semi-final, Saudi vs Kuwait, it was a classic 'no lose' game for Oman. One of them was going to lose. And while everyone was cheering for Kuwait (honestly, just try cheering for Saudi.... I always find it just sticks in the throat), really we all wanted Saudi to win!

Why? So we, Oman, can kick their ass in the final. Omanis really can't stand Saudis. What with the war(s), the border disputes, the religious interference, and the 1980s Saudi official fatwa against all Ibadhi; lets say, there's not a lot of love lost between the people of Oman and the brotherly Kingdom to the West. The great thing is, this nationaistic passion will be subsumed in the sport of football. One can only wonder how long before Gaza could play Israel in a peaceful football match.

I really hope we win tomorrow. Getting beaten by the Saudis would totally suck.

Enjoy the game folks. Fingers crossed it doesn't go to penalties again... I'll be out with the crowds if they win!


And in other news...
Oh, it rained really hard last week, in case you hadn't heard/don't live here. The wind was IMHO a lot stronger than during Gonu for several minutes. And it hit very fast - a real storm. Mostly the city survived pretty well. Amazingly the pitch was OK for the matches too.



Photo: hail, wind and rain strikes Oman

Rain and hailstorms lash northern parts of Oman

By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief
Published: January 14, 2009, 12:58

Muscat: Hailstorms lashed the northern parts of Omani capital for almost 30 minutes on Tuesday night.

"It was like small cubes of ice but not in definite shape," Saeed Masood, an Omani resident of Seeb, 45-km north of central Ruwi, told Gulf News.

He said the streets were covered with ice and traffic came to a halt as visibility reduced drastically.

"Our terrace was filled with solid pieces of ice," said Yogesh Shah, a long-time Oman resident who lives in a terrace flat in Seeb.

After the storm stopped, Shah said children in the area had a gala time. "For sometime children started throwing ice at each other," he said.

There was nothing unusual about hailstorms as it had happened in the past too, said Hamid Al Brashdi of the Meteorological and Air Navigation Department.

He predicted more rains, accompanied by thunderstorms, due to continued trough of low pressure that first brought rains in Musandam and Wusta region and then over Muscat.

The meteorological office advised people to take extra care during rains, especially in low-lying areas.

I do like the last point of advice. Surprised they didn't warn about being in wadis and things too.

Oman sees potential victory in ball game

busy still.

Big story about to break, but tomorrow on that one.

Meanwhile, Oman face Qatar (well, I believe they have Qatari nationality) in the semis. This Wed. The nation will be consumed. and if we win that a cliff hanger against the Saudis.

Drive anywhere you want 6:00-8:00, Drive no-where near Shatti/MQ/Qurm until 4:30am if we win. Same advice if we loose. But I think Al Habsi will make the difference. Fingers crossed.

And it might rain in the next few days. Certainly wind and clouds. Cool.