A powerful cyclone hit Oman's central coast with strong winds and rain early Wednesday, after thousands of residents fled to higher ground. Forecasters said the Arabian Peninsula's strongest storm in 60 years was on a course for southern Iran and the oil-rich Persian Gulf. Cyclone-force winds of Gonu, which had been churning northwest through the Indian Ocean, buffeted coastal towns including Sur and Ra's al-Hadd and heavy rains drenched the capital, Muscat, and surrounding communities, Civil Defense officials said. At 11 p.m. EDT, Cyclone Gonu was centered just off central Oman, about 115 miles southeast of Muscat and was traveling along the coastline at about 9 mph, according to the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The steadily weakening storm was still packing sustained winds of 92 mph with gusts of up to 115 mph and churning up ocean waves as high as 35 feet, civil defense officials and forecasters said. Heavy rains pelted Muscat Wednesday morning and streets were empty, a resident of the city told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
