Severe flooding overwhelms Oman following historic landfall by Cyclone Shaheen
The death toll rose on Monday in Oman one day after Shaheen made an unprecedented landfall in the country. And forecasters said the landfall wasn't the only unusual part about the storm's journey.
By
Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Oct 6, 2021 6:36 AM EDT
At least nine people were killed across Oman and Iran when Cyclone Shaheen slammed the area with powerful winds and flash flooding on Oct. 3.
Parts of northeastern Oman were reeling Monday following a direct strike from a deadly and rare tropical cyclone that made landfall over the weekend.
Cyclone Shaheen roared ashore as the first cyclone to make landfall in northeastern Oman in more than 130 years on Sunday night. The storm unleashed flooding rainfall and strong winds and was blamed for at least 13 fatalities as of Monday, according to the BBC.
The Associated Press reported that two of the fatalities were Iranian fishermen who had gone missing while out near the fishing village of Pasabandar. At least three other fishermen are reportedly missing.
Shaheen made landfall near Al-Khaburah, Oman, a city located on the northern shore of the country. At the time of landfall, Shaheen packed three-minute average sustained wind speeds of 63 mph (102 km/h) and was the equivalent of a strong tropical storm in the Atlantic and East Pacific basins. It was designated as a "severe cyclonic storm" by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which monitors the North Indian Ocean basin.
This satellite image shows Shaheen making landfall in northeastern Oman on Sunday night, October 3, 2021. (CIRA/RAMMB)
Shaheen is the first cyclonic storm to strike northeastern Oman in modern record-keeping, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls.
The last time northeastern Oman was dealt a blow by a cyclonic storm was back in the 19th century. An unnamed cyclone struck northeastern Oman on June 5, 1890, and more than 750 people were killed due to flooding rainfall and damaging winds.
According to the BBC, Shaheen produced waves up to 32 feet in height along the coast, and Oman's state news agency said that armed forces were conducting a number of flood rescues. More than 5,000 people were evacuated into 80 different shelters.
Shaheen's path was unusual for a variety of reasons, according to AccuWeather forecasters.
This photo released by Oman News Agency shows a flooded street of the Al Khaburah district after Cyclone Shaheen, in Oman, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. The death toll from Cyclone Shaheen rose on Monday while other fishermen from Iran remained missing as the storm moved further inland into Oman and weakened. (Oman News Agency via AP)
What became Shaheen began its life last week when a well-marked low pressure moved out of western India and into the Arabian Sea. Forecasters say the circulation of this low pressure can be traced back to what remained of the former Cyclone Gulab. Gulab brought heavy rainfall to portions of eastern and northern India last week.
Once this well-marked low pressure entered the Arabian Sea, it was able to strengthen and was given a new name as it tracked westward. Shaheen ultimately pushed into the Gulf of Oman this weekend.
"No cyclone has entered the Gulf of Oman from the east since at least 1960," Nicholls said.
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Widespread rainfall amounts of 3-6 inches (75-150 mm) fell across portions of northern Oman through Monday. Northern portions of Oman typically average just a few hundredths of an inch of rain for the entire month of October.
This deluge of heavy rainfall quickly overwhelmed the region's dry ground and triggered widespread flash flooding. Images from the Al-Khaburah district, near Shaheen's landfall, showed roadways completely underwater with floating debris.
Not long after making landfall, Shaheen began to lose wind intensity. As of Monday afternoon, local time, Shaheen was a depression over western Oman. What remained of Shaheen was quickly torn apart through Monday night as it tracked southwestward due to the very dry air in place across much of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
In this photo released by the Oman News Agency, Oman Air Force personnel fly over the Al Khaburah district to assess damage from Cyclone Shaheen, in Oman, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. (Oman News Agency via AP)
While the track of Shaheen was certainly unique, AccuWeather forecasters say tropical activity in the Indian Ocean basin at large is rather common during early October.
The North Indian Ocean tropical season does not have specific start or end dates like the Atlantic or East Pacific tropical seasons, but it is typically most active between April and December, with a peak in activity from May to November.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
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Severe flooding overwhelms Oman following historic landfall by Cyclone Shaheen
The death toll rose on Monday in Oman one day after Shaheen made an unprecedented landfall in the country. And forecasters said the landfall wasn't the only unusual part about the storm's journey.
By Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Oct 6, 2021 6:36 AM EDT
At least nine people were killed across Oman and Iran when Cyclone Shaheen slammed the area with powerful winds and flash flooding on Oct. 3.
Parts of northeastern Oman were reeling Monday following a direct strike from a deadly and rare tropical cyclone that made landfall over the weekend.
Cyclone Shaheen roared ashore as the first cyclone to make landfall in northeastern Oman in more than 130 years on Sunday night. The storm unleashed flooding rainfall and strong winds and was blamed for at least 13 fatalities as of Monday, according to the BBC.
The Associated Press reported that two of the fatalities were Iranian fishermen who had gone missing while out near the fishing village of Pasabandar. At least three other fishermen are reportedly missing.
Shaheen made landfall near Al-Khaburah, Oman, a city located on the northern shore of the country. At the time of landfall, Shaheen packed three-minute average sustained wind speeds of 63 mph (102 km/h) and was the equivalent of a strong tropical storm in the Atlantic and East Pacific basins. It was designated as a "severe cyclonic storm" by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which monitors the North Indian Ocean basin.
This satellite image shows Shaheen making landfall in northeastern Oman on Sunday night, October 3, 2021. (CIRA/RAMMB)
Shaheen is the first cyclonic storm to strike northeastern Oman in modern record-keeping, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls.
The last time northeastern Oman was dealt a blow by a cyclonic storm was back in the 19th century. An unnamed cyclone struck northeastern Oman on June 5, 1890, and more than 750 people were killed due to flooding rainfall and damaging winds.
According to the BBC, Shaheen produced waves up to 32 feet in height along the coast, and Oman's state news agency said that armed forces were conducting a number of flood rescues. More than 5,000 people were evacuated into 80 different shelters.
Shaheen's path was unusual for a variety of reasons, according to AccuWeather forecasters.
This photo released by Oman News Agency shows a flooded street of the Al Khaburah district after Cyclone Shaheen, in Oman, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. The death toll from Cyclone Shaheen rose on Monday while other fishermen from Iran remained missing as the storm moved further inland into Oman and weakened. (Oman News Agency via AP)
What became Shaheen began its life last week when a well-marked low pressure moved out of western India and into the Arabian Sea. Forecasters say the circulation of this low pressure can be traced back to what remained of the former Cyclone Gulab. Gulab brought heavy rainfall to portions of eastern and northern India last week.
Once this well-marked low pressure entered the Arabian Sea, it was able to strengthen and was given a new name as it tracked westward. Shaheen ultimately pushed into the Gulf of Oman this weekend.
"No cyclone has entered the Gulf of Oman from the east since at least 1960," Nicholls said.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Widespread rainfall amounts of 3-6 inches (75-150 mm) fell across portions of northern Oman through Monday. Northern portions of Oman typically average just a few hundredths of an inch of rain for the entire month of October.
This deluge of heavy rainfall quickly overwhelmed the region's dry ground and triggered widespread flash flooding. Images from the Al-Khaburah district, near Shaheen's landfall, showed roadways completely underwater with floating debris.
Not long after making landfall, Shaheen began to lose wind intensity. As of Monday afternoon, local time, Shaheen was a depression over western Oman. What remained of Shaheen was quickly torn apart through Monday night as it tracked southwestward due to the very dry air in place across much of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
In this photo released by the Oman News Agency, Oman Air Force personnel fly over the Al Khaburah district to assess damage from Cyclone Shaheen, in Oman, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. (Oman News Agency via AP)
While the track of Shaheen was certainly unique, AccuWeather forecasters say tropical activity in the Indian Ocean basin at large is rather common during early October.
The North Indian Ocean tropical season does not have specific start or end dates like the Atlantic or East Pacific tropical seasons, but it is typically most active between April and December, with a peak in activity from May to November.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
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