What is Cyclone Freddy?

About Cyclone Freddy:

• Origin: It originated off the northern coast of Australia and became a named storm on February 6, 2022.
• It crossed the entire South Indian Ocean and traveled more than 8,000 kilometers, affecting Mauritius and La Réunion, before making landfalls in Madagascar two weeks later and then Mozambique.
• Freddy was the first tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere to undergo six separate rounds of rapid intensification.
• It also holds the record for all-time accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) (storm strength during its lifetime) for the Southern Hemisphere.
• Freddy is fuelled by the energy provided by the warm ocean surface, consistently sourcing heat and moisture throughout its lifetime. 

 

What is a Tropical Cyclone?

• It is a rapidly rotating storm originating over warm tropical oceans from where it draws the energy to develop. 
• It has a low-pressure center and clouds spiraling towards the eyewall surrounding the "eye", the central part of the system where the weather is normally calm and free of clouds. 
• Its diameter is typically around 200 to 500 km but can reach 1000 km.
• The winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
• A tropical cyclone brings very violent winds, torrential rain, high waves, and, in some cases, very destructive storm surges and coastal flooding.

 

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Q1) How are cyclones known in different regions?

Cyclones are given many names in different regions of the world – They are known as typhoons in the China Sea and Pacific Ocean; hurricanes in the West Indian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean; tornados in the Guinea lands of West Africa and southern USA.; willy-willies in north-western Australia and tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean.

Source: Cyclone Freddy on track to become longest sustaining cyclone