Powerful Tropical Cyclone Enawo, which had been intensifying off the northeastern edge of Madagascar, struck the island nation on Tuesday when it came ashore near Antalaha.
The formidable storm came ashore as the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, packing estimated winds as high as 145 miles per hour based on satellite estimates from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
The cyclone is the same type of storm as a hurricane, but called a different term in that part of the world. An abundant supply of warm waters in the southwest Indian Ocean fueled the storm's rapid intensification, along with favorable atmospheric conditions (for the cyclone, that is).
Extrait
Meteo Madagascar issued a red alert for the northeast coast of Madagascar, warning residents to move away from homes near the water's edge and seek shelter in sturdy buildings.
Cyclone #Enawo off Madagascar has a large, warm eye & ring of cold convection surrounding for a satellite intensity estimate of 115-knots+ pic.twitter.com/S9rBQyLlP7
— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) March 6, 2017
In addition to strong winds, the storm will also bring the threat of storm-surge flooding and heavy rains and mudslides. The northeastern part of the island is expected to see at least a foot of rainfall in a short period of time, with mountainous areas receiving the most rain.
It's possible that some areas will pick up even more rain as the storm slowly moves down the eastern part of the island, moving from northeast to southwest.
Heavy rains from the storm may trigger flash flooding and mudslides, including in and around the capital of Antananarivo, which has a population of about 1.4 million.
If the storm causes a humanitarian crisis in Madagascar, it would come at a time when international resources are already stretched thin. The United Nations is already struggling to respond to a famine and severe food shortages in other parts of Africa.
Credit: University of WisconsinHaving a strong tropical cyclone in February is typical for the Indian Ocean, though Madagascar does not frequently see storms of this intensity. According to weather.com, the last tropical cyclone of at least hurricane intensity—with sustained winds greater than 74 miles per hour—to hit Madagascar was Cyclone Hellen in March of 2014.
The last comparable storm to Enawo that came ashore in northeastern Madagascar was Tropical Cyclone Gafilo, which hit in March 2004. That storm killed more than 350 and destroyed more than 20,000 roads.
This story was updated at 10:30 a.m. ET on March 7, 2017.
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