Publication Date October 29, 2015 | Slate

Cyclone Chapala Could Bring Eight Years Worth of Rain to Yemen and Oman

Yemen
Oman and Yemen are on alert this week as Cyclone Chapala approaches. Here, a Muscat beach scene in 2010. Photo: Mohammed Mahjoub, AFP, Getty
Oman and Yemen are on alert this week as Cyclone Chapala approaches. Here, a Muscat beach scene in 2010. Photo: Mohammed Mahjoub, AFP, Getty

Coastal parts of Yemen and Oman receive, on average, only 4 or 5 inches each year. This weekend, thanks to Cyclone Chapala, some spots could get eight years worth of rain in just two days...Tropical cyclones are an extreme rarity near the Arabian Peninsula. Since reliable records begin in 1979, there have been only two hurricane-strength storms to make landfall in Oman, and the only storm to hit Yemen topped out with winds at a paltry 35 mph, barely tropical storm strength. All three of these storms have happened since 2007.