Cyclone Mekunu aftermath

Cyclone Mekunu brought what is probably Dhofar’s most intense rainfall ever, which in turn brought some deaths (6 reported and perhaps a few more will be found), caused destroyed roads and spectacular waterfalls.

Cyclone Mekenu 23 May MODIS NASA
Cyclone Mekenu 23 May MODIS NASA

The effect can be seen by the closure announcment, by the National Committee for Civil Defense, of major road links – shown in a diagram issued after Cyclone Mekunu. As the diagram has not, so far, been issued in English I have annotated the Arabic original.

Road Closures Dhofar after May Cyclone Mekunu 29th & 30th May situation Compared
Road Closures Dhofar after May Cyclone Mekunu 29th & 30th May situation Compared

I updated the original road closures Map to show the situation as on 3oth May (right) – with traffic able to flow to all areas on Map.

In the mountains Tayq Cave Sinkhole filled (see my earlier post). The waterfalls of Wadi Darbat were, for perhaps the first time in centuries, a completer fall – totalling a kilometer’s width of cascading water.

My rewrite of the Bradt Guide to Oman is available in eBook here and paperback through Amazon worldwide here.

Oman Guide Book by Tony Walsh
Bradt Guide to Oman

To the west the road at Mughsayl was cut, this means that a large number of villages (Rakhyut, Dalkut, Sarfayt) on the west of the road, which is their only tarmacked land route,  are isolated and the Oman-Yemen road, which this is part of,  is also closed.

Mughsayl Road destroyed by Cyclone Mekunu by Saad Al Barami
Mughsayl Road destroyed by Cyclone Mekunu by Saad Al Barami

If you will be visiting Dhofar, the roads will be open relatively quickly, days in the case of Mughsayl as remedial work is underway, (this probably will re-route the road to cross in a narrow part of the wadi away from the beach) and though not reported I imagine work will also be required in sections of this road farther west towards Yemen. As soon as the flooding north of Thumrayt disappears the road will open (after cleaning) as the road itself is not damaged.

Behind Salalah the protective dams held and saved the town from catastrophy.

While to the north of the city of Salalah, the main Thumrayt-Nizwa road is under water as the great Rub Al Khali becomes an inland sea.

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Author: Tony Walsh

Book author including the current Bradt guide to Oman