It will probably be more on the lines of Category 1.
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Neighbouring Oman downgraded its state of alert, saying the cyclone had moved westwards and would not directly hit the sultanate.
Chapala was packing maximum sustained winds of 195 kph (120 mph) Monday, but was expected to weaken somewhat as it gets closer to the dry air of the Arabian Peninsula. Wave heights around the storm are 30 feet.
Cyclone Chapala, which has formed in the Arabian Sea, destroyed more than 100 homes on the island on Sunday, as it also uprooted trees and sank fishing boats, sources said.
Yemen’s first hurricane on record arrived early Tuesday morning when Tropical Cyclone Chapala hit the southwestern city of Mukallah, bringing with it unprecedented flooding in an already vulnerable area.
The country isn’t used to finding itself in the path of tropical cyclones. But whether or not it sustains its winds, the storm should drop substantial rainfall over the parched region.
The UN World Meteorological Organisation said the storm was an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” and that winds would be about 120 to 130 kilometres per hour when it hit the coast. By the time it reaches Yemen’s coast those winds are likely to have eased to about 139km/h, with gusts reaching 167km/h.
“So we really do expect this cyclone to have a very significant impact”.
The Yemen Post newspaper described the city as being “under water”, saying on Twitter that Chapala “drowns city with 40 inches of water”. Getting accurate, on-the-ground rainfall amounts from Yemen is tough, but forecasters had estimated that Chapala could dump as much as 8 inches of rain.
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The 2 strongest tropical cyclone in history in the Arabian Sea is making an exceedingly unusual trek into the Gulf of Aden. However, such cyclones rarely make landfall. And if Chapala maintains hurricane strength at landfall, it would only be the third hurricane on record to make landfall on the entire Arabian Peninsula. That storm, which was far weaker than Chapala will be at landfall, led to disastrous flooding, reports Weather Underground’s Jeff Masters. But by then, it will likely cause heavy damage.
