Strongest Storm on Record Brings Death, Displacement to Somalia

Cyclone Gati is the strongest storm to hit the Horn of Africa nation since satellite records began - bringing two years of rain in two days and wind speeds of 170km/h to northeastern Somalia's Puntland region on November 22, 2020, Thomson Reuters reports. The United Nations says eight people have died and 180,000 people have had their lives disrupted, with more than a dozen towns and villages inundated by flood waters which have destroyed homes and businesses and submerged crops and pastures. NASA reports that the city of Bosaso reported 12.8cm of rain in 24 hours. Heavy rains and strong winds caused flash floods along coastal and inland areas and destroyed buildings. Gati has since weakened and moved into the Gulf of Aden, NASA says. 

This natural-color image above shows Gati before making landfall over Ras Hafun (the easternmost point in Africa) on November 22. The image was acquired by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite.

The map shows rainfall accumulation from November 21-23, 2020. These data are remotely-sensed estimates that come from the Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), a product of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. Local rainfall amounts can be significantly higher when measured from the ground.

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