The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image of the cyclone on November 11, 2013, well after the storm came ashore. At its strongest, Tropical Cyclone 3A had winds of 74 kilometers (46 miles) per hour, making it the equivalent of a weak tropical storm.
As the storm moved ashore, it was forecast to dump 100-200 millimeters (4-8 inches) of rain, with potentially higher amounts in some regions. The average annual rainfall in Puntland ranges from less than 100 mm (4 inches) to 200 mm (8 inches).
Cyclones are unusual in Somalia. Tropical Cyclone 3A is just the fifth storm to strike the country since records began in 1966, wrote meteorologist Jeff Masters. The last cyclone to come ashore over Somalia was Tropical Cyclone Murjan on October 25, 2012.
References
- AccuWeather (2013, November 10) Tropical cyclone slamming Somalia with flooding, rain, wind. Accessed November 11, 2013.
- BBC News (2013, November 11) Somalis ‘killed in Puntland’ during tropical cyclone. Accessed November 11, 2013.
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Somalia Water and Land Information Management (2007) Climate of Somalia. (pdf) Accessed November 11, 2013.
- Jeff Masters WunderBlog, via Weather Underground (2013, November 11) Haiyan finally dying; Somalia’s deadliest tropical storm on record kills 100. Accessed November 11, 2013.
- Unisys Weather (2013, November 11) Tropical Storm Three. Accessed November 11, 2013.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Holli Riebeek.
- Instrument:
- Terra - MODIS - NASA
