Even as the devastating impact of Typhoon Haiyan began to emerge in the Philippines, Somalia too experienced one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in its history. Deep Depression ARB 01 (Tropical Cyclone 03A) moved over Puntland, Somalia, on November 10–11, 2013, causing flash floods that left more than 100 dead. The storm destroyed hundreds of homes and thousands of livestock, according to news reports.
<p>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. 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 <i>annual</i> rainfall in Puntland ranges from less than 100 mm (4 inches) to 200 mm (8 inches).
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Cyclones are unusual in Somalia. ARB 01 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 Cyclonic Storm Murjan on October 25, 2012.
MODIS image captured by NASA’s Terra satellite
2013-11-11
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