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 Oceanand 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 Hemisphereand 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.
