Cat 5 Typhoon Gonu at entrance to Gulf shipping Lanes

A well formed Category 5 typhoon named Gonu, with a 22 nautical mile eye, is currently headed straight towards the Straights of Hormuz, where all Arabian oil exports to the west must pass.  Oil futures are already being impacted. 

While the typhoon is projected to break to the north and enter Iran, it is neverless in a critical shipping lane area, and is creating 40 foot waves and 140 kt winds.  I would assume that any supertankers in the areas, plus any US Navy ships, will have to sail north, back up the Gulf towards Kuwait to keep away from the typhoon.  (click on photos to enlarge)

Comments

[Pete McGowan]

Nicoh
I have removed the hatefull comment you were referring to, as I don't agree with these type of hateful or racist remarks either...

Pete M

[nickoh]

Hi,Mr P, I had been in the Sultanate of Oman for the past 2 years. The people here are nicer than most people can ever imagine, and more passionate and considerate than many in the world. To say such things as to have half of the people wiped out of the map is downright sinister in your thinking and you ought to give fair comment. Every country has her good and bad, but to give such sweeping statements is really uncalled for. Come to the Middle East, and you will discover there are nicer people than most other people you have ever met in your life. I am sure your country men in the Middle East have met more nicer and better people than you had. To put it bluntly, almost all the families I got to know have excellent family upbringing than many of us, so...treat people with fair comment....and I don't recall anybody cursing your people when hurricanes hit America...we all think about how to help....the world will be a better place to stay if more of us are tolerant and graceful in giving each other space to live in.

[CoolAqua]

a_z
Thanks for the explaination for the name. I thought cyclones had to be either hurricanes and typhoons.

P

[a_z]

A Typhoon is the term for a tropical cyclone in the northwest Pacific basin. Due to the fact that this storm is in the north Indian Ocean basin, it should be called Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu.