Environmental Impacts:

• Cyclone Gonu (Joint Typhoon Warning Center designation: 02A, also known as Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu) is the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea, and tied for the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the northern Indian Ocean.

• Gonu strengthened to attain peak 1-min sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) and gusts to 315 km/h (195 mph) while located about 285 km (175 miles) east-southeast of Masirah Island on the coast of Oman. At that intensity, Gonu was tied for the strongest tropical cyclone in the northern Indian Ocean. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded it to Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu late on June 4, with 10-min sustained winds reaching 240 km/h (150 mph) and an estimated pressure of 920 mb.

• Gonu weakened after encountering dry air and cooler waters, and late on June 5 it made landfall on northeastern Oman.

• After maintaining peak winds for about 9 hours, the IMD downgraded Gonu to very severe cyclonic storm status early on June 5. Its eye became cloud-filled and ragged, and the cyclone gradually weakened as it continued tracking northwestward over cooler water temperatures and through drier air.

• According to the IMD, Cyclone Gonu crossed the northeastern tip of Oman. Though the winds continued to gradually decrease as it interacted with land, overall organization increased slightly in the hours prior to landfall; Gonu maintained a well-defined low-level structure with a weak eye. After emerging into the Gulf of Oman, the cyclone intensified slightly, becoming the first recorded tropical cyclone in the Gulf of Oman.

• As of 1500 UTC on June 5, Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gonu is located at 23.5°N 59.5°E. It has maximum sustained winds of 90 knots (165 km/h, 105 mph), with stronger gusts. Gonu's minimum central pressure is 970 mb (28.65 in.), and it is moving to the north. Cyclone Gonu is currently moving towards the Oman capital of Muscat, and is forecast to pass over the city.

• The name Gonu was contributed by the Maldives, meaning 'bag made from palm leaves' in Dhivehi, the Maldivian language.

Supplementary Material:

NASA's AQUA Satellite:

• Aqua, Latin for water, is a NASA Earth Science satellite mission collecting about the Earth's water cycle, including evaporation from the oceans, water vapor in the atmosphere, clouds, precipitation, soil moisture, sea ice, land ice, and snow cover on the land and ice. The Aqua spacecraft (formally known as EOS-PM) was successfully launched on May 4, 2002 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in Lompoc, California. It is flying at an altitude of 705 km (438 miles) observing the Earth, and the life expectancy is 6 years. [Aqua's Orbit], [Animation of MODIS Observing the Earth]

NASA's TERRA Satellite:

• The Terra spacecraft (formally known as EOS-AM) was successfully launched on Saturday, December 19, 1999 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in Lompoc, California. It is flying at an altitude of 705 km (438 miles) observing the Earth. The life expectancy of the Terra mission is 6 years. It will be followed in later years by other EOS spacecraft that take advantage of new developments in remote sensing technologies. [Terra 3D Animation], [Animation showing Terra Orbit]