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 4, 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 easternmost tip of Oman, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula.

Intense tropical cyclones like Gonu are extremely rare in the Arabian Sea, and most storms in this area tend to be small and dissipate quickly.

[2] By May 31, an organized tropical disturbance was located about 645 km (400 mi) south of Mumbai, India, with cyclonic convection, or thunderstorm activity, and a well-defined mid-level circulation.

The disturbance initially lacked a distinct low-level circulation; instead it consisted of strong divergence along the western end of a surface trough of low pressure.

[3] A favorable upper-level environment allowed convection to improve,[4] and by late on June 1, the system developed to the extent that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) classified it as a depression.

Convection continued to organize, and early on June 2, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) classified the storm as Tropical Cyclone 02A, about 685 km (425 mi) southwest of Mumbai.

[10] With a solid area of intense convection, it rapidly intensified to attain severe cyclonic status early on June 3,[11] and with good outflow the JTWC upgraded it to the equivalent of a minimal hurricane.

A well-defined eye developed in the center of convection, and after moving over a local increase in ocean heat content, Gonu rapidly deepened.

[17] The IMD upgraded it to Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu late on June 4, with peak 3-min sustained winds reaching 240 km/h (150 mph) and an estimated pressure of 920 mbar.

[2] Gonu's eye became cloud-filled and ragged, and the cyclone gradually weakened due to cooler water temperatures and drier air as it approached the Arabian Peninsula.

[19] Due to land interaction with Oman, the inner core of deep convection rapidly weakened, and over a period of 24 hours the intensity decreased by 95 km/h (60 mph).

[2] Although the winds continued to gradually decrease, overall organization increased slightly in the hours prior to landfall; Gonu maintained a well-defined low-level structure with a weak eye.

[15] However, increasing wind shear and entrainment of dry air from the Arabian Peninsula continued to remove deep convection from its eastern semicircle.

[29] Officials recommended citizens evacuate from potentially affected areas,[30] and about 7,000 people were forced to leave Masirah Island due to the threat of high surf and strong winds.

[40] The Iran Department of Meteorology declared storm warnings for the country's southeastern coastline; the agency anticipated moderate to severe precipitation and gusty winds.

[41] Prior to the arrival of the cyclone, about 40,000 people,[42] including around 4,000 students at the International University of Chabahar,[43] evacuated coastal areas of the country to at least 1 km (0.6 mi) inland.

[2] About seven hours before passing near the northeastern Oman coastline, Gonu began affecting the country with rough winds and heavy precipitation; rainfall totals reached 610 mm (24 in) near the coast.

The cyclone caused extensive damage along the coastline, including in the city of Sur and the village of Ras al Hadd at the easternmost point of the Omani mainland.

[2] Fierce waves pushed large amounts of water to coastal areas in Fujairah of the United Arab Emirates, forcing roads to be closed and traffic diverted.

[65] After the passage of the cyclone, the Iran chapter of the Red Cross and its volunteers worked in conjunction with the military to distribute relief supplies to villages using trucks and helicopters.

The branch in Sistan and Baluchestan Province distributed over 10,000 blankets, 1,300 tents, 400 clothing items, 82,000 loaves of bread, and 87,000 bottles of water to affected citizens.

Officials worked to restore roads, bridges, and power systems in the affected areas, although repairs were more difficult in some locations; by a week after the storm, several villages remained surrounded by floodwaters.

[16] On June 6, Gonu made landfall in extreme eastern Oman with winds of 150 km/h (95 mph),[2] making it the strongest tropical cyclone on record to strike the Arabian Peninsula.