Cyclone Gonu Storm Surge in the Gulf of Oman

Abstract

Tropical cyclones develop in the north Indian Ocean from 55°E to 90°E and 5°N to 20°N (Webster et al. 2005). There are two cyclone seasons in the north Indian Ocean, namely, the pre-monsoon (May) and post-monsoon (October and November). Some cyclones form in the transitional months June and September. The socioeconomic impact of tropical cyclones based on damage and loss of life is enormous in the Bay of Bengal with cyclone Nargis in Myanmar as the most recent example (Fritz et al. 2009). More cyclones form in the Bay of Bengal than in the Arabian Sea based on a respective frequency ratio of approximately 4:1 (Singh et al. 2001). The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) maintains a “best-track” database for cyclones in the Indian Ocean with time span 1945-2007. The Arabian Sea tropical cyclone center tracks in the data are shown in Fig. 1. Prior to 1975, only track information was available. From 1975 to 1979, maximum wind velocity was not available for all cyclones or was only available for partial cyclone tracks. Since 1979, maximum wind velocity is available for all storms.