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- BBC News World
image source, Good pictures
A historic storm hit the African continent.
Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique are recovering from the effects Cyclone FreddieConsidered one of the storms The longest recorded period in the Southern Hemisphere And, perhaps, the whole world.
More than 400 people have died and thousands of homes have been destroyed.
Southeast Africa is often hit by cyclones and tropical storms from the Indian Ocean, but Freddie was different for several reasons.
How long did it last?
Freddie was finally declared a “dead” storm by the French meteorological service. The storm was named by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology on February 4 and ended on March 14.
image source, Rooster pictures
It remained strong enough to be officially classified as a tropical system for about 36 days.
However, we will have to wait for confirmation from the World Meteorological Organization before we can say whether it is official A long lasting storm Not registered.
The interesting thing about Freddie is how far he traveled. It started its journey off the coast of northwestern Australia and crossed the southern Indian Ocean from east to west.
It is one of only four storms in history to do so.
How powerful is it?
Wind speed is the classic way to measure the strength of a storm. At its strongest, Freddy is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 260 km/h.
image source, Good pictures
Fortunately, its greatest intensity occurred in open water.
Freddie broke the record of old people Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) The all-time record in the Southern Hemisphere, a measure of storm strength over time, broke the previous record set by Cyclone Fantala in 2016.
That energy was more than anything produced during the Atlantic hurricane season.
It was the first storm to hit the Southern Hemisphere Four separate rounds of rapid expansionThat means at least 30 days of maximum sustained wind increase in 24 hours.
Rainfall has exceeded 600 mm in some areas from landslides, and landslides have occurred in areas prone to heavy rainfall.
image source, Good pictures
The storm also brought large storm surges as it packed storm winds and re-worked into the warm waters of the Mozambique Channel.
What is the difference between a hurricane and a tropical storm?
A tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean is stronger than a tropical storm.
Freddie first hit Mozambique as a moderate tropical storm.
Its second landfall in Mozambique was as a tropical cyclone, and by the time it reached Malawi, it had weakened to a tropical storm, although it caused more destruction.
Freddie has now dissipated, but its remnants are still bringing rain to parts of Mozambique and Malawi, which could worsen the flooding situation.
What does it have to do with climate change?
It’s a tough question because Freddy is definitely unusual.
We have seen these types of storms before when there is strong or stable weather girl In the Indian Ocean.
The Met Office has announced the end of a series of La Niña events that began in September 2020.
In terms of climate change, it’s a well-known fact that warmer air holds more water, so the amount of rain that fell with Freddy, especially during his time on Earth, was increased by the change.
Likewise, warmer ocean water has more energy, so these storms can become more powerful over time and unleash even more precipitation.
Similarly, rapid intensity is greater with higher ocean temperatures.
The slow movement of the storm, especially just before its second landfall in Mozambique, may be related to climate change.
image source, Good pictures
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