History is being made in the world of tropical cyclones, as Tropical Cyclone Freddy, born northwest of Australia on February 3, continues to make its mark.
đźš© Freddy traversed the entire 10,000 km (6,200 miles) wide Indian Ocean and became the first Category 5 storm of 2023, while also breaking the record for the most amount of cyclone energy ever recorded.
The cyclone has made two landfalls to western Madagascar and Africa’s Mozambique, resulting in multiple fatalities.
As of March 3, at least 14 people have been killed, 7 in Mozambique and 7 in Madagascar.
Freddy could possibly make another landfall in Mozambique at the end of the week, but the forecast is still too uncertain to be able to precise timing and exposed areas.
Freddy is now being called one-of-a-kind and the longest-lived cyclone ever documented.
➡️ Forecast to crush the previous record set back in 1994 by Hurricane John’s 31-day streak across the Pacific, Freddy will retain tropical characteristics for at least another week.
Moving backward, Freddy is expected to double dip on Madagascar and Mozambique impacts.
The storm aims to graze eastern Madagascar before heading back to Mozambique into the weekend, tallying its landfalls to at least three.
This backtrack is abnormal as weather systems typically move from east to west in the Southern Hemisphere, but Freddy has moved the complete opposite for six days.
📸 Credits by MeteoFrance and Windy
