Cyclone Gonu is the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea, and is also the strongest named cyclone in the northern Indian Ocean. The second named tropical cyclone of the 2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Gonu developed from a persistent area of convection in the eastern Arabian Sea on June 1. With a favorable upper-level environment and warm sea surface temperatures, it rapidly intensified to attain peak winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) on June 3, according to the India Meteorological Department. Gonu weakened after encountering dry air and cooler waters, and early on June 6, it made landfall on the eastern-most tip of Oman, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula. It then turned northward into the Gulf of Oman, and dissipated on June 7 after making landfall in southern Iran. Intense tropical cyclones like Gonu are extremely rare over the Arabian Sea, as most storms in this area tend to be small and dissipate quickly. The cyclone caused 50 deaths and about $4.2 billion in damage (2007 USD) in Oman, where the cyclone was considered the nation's worst natural disaster. Gonu dropped heavy rainfall near the eastern coastline, reaching up to 610 mm (24 inches), which caused flooding and heavy damage. In Iran, the cyclone caused 28 deaths and 216 million in damage (2007 USD).

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Gonu

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

350:

Roman usurper Nepotianus of the Constantinian dynasty proclaimed himself Roman Emperor, entering Rome with a group of gladiators. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepotianus

1621:

The Dutch West India Company received a charter for a trade monopoly in the West Indies by the Dutch Republic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_West_India_Company

1937:

Months after he abdicated the British throne, Edward, Duke of Windsor married American socialite Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony near Tours, France. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII_of_the_United_Kingdom

1963:

The Buddhist crisis: Soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam attacked protesting Buddhists in Huế, South Vietnam, with liquid chemicals from tear gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalised for blistering of the skin and respiratory ailments. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue_chemical_attacks

1992:

The High Court of Australia delivered its decision in the landmark case Mabo v Queensland, recognising the land rights of the Aborigines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabo_v_Queensland

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

apothecary (n): A person who makes and provides/sells drugs and/or medicines http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apothecary

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little. --Sydney Smith http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sydney_Smith