Somalilandsun: Heavy rains and windstorms are pounding some parts of Sanaag region in the east of Somaliland as a result of cyclonic storms emanating from the Arabian Sea.
Reports of the storm said to have not yet threatened lives in Somaliland, first reported by residents of Erigavo the Sanaag regional capital have been confirmed by the Oman Meteorology agency stating that The tropical system in the Arabian Sea has made landfall in Somalia land,
A statement issued online by Oman Meteorology said:” The tropical system will continue weakening further in the next hours. Advection of medium and high clouds will continue
“During the next couple of days, sea state will be moderate to rough with maximum wave height of 3 metres, along Gulf of Aden, other coastal areas, unquote
On Monday One of the worst cyclonic storms struck the Horn of Africa nation Somalia, killing eight fishers and destroying roads, houses, fishing boats, communication masts, and power lines.
70,000 others were affected by tropical cyclone, Gati, after causing heavy rains and windstorms, the UN humanitarian agency said on Monday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said an unknown number of people have been injured; property and infrastructure have been damaged while 15,000 people have been displaced in Xaafuun and Hurdiya villages.
Fishing activities, transportation and other businesses have been paralyzed in Bossaso along the Gulf of Aden and other coastal towns. Internally displaced people are said to be among the worst affected by the rains.
Climate experts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Physical Sciences Laboratory say that Gati is the strongest tropical cyclone that has been recorded in the region adding that adding that its escalation from about 40 mph to 115 mph was the largest 12-hour increase on record for a tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean. The storms usually form then begin to move west towards the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa. This runs into another force field with devastating tendencies around coastal terrains.
The storms are leading to a lot more rain. The attendant effect of climate change is causing spikes in ocean temperatures and a moister atmosphere. These are major triggers for tropical cyclones.
Although Somaliland gets about 4 inches of rain per year on the average, projections show that Gati could bring 8 inches over the next two days — “two years’ worth of rainfall in just two days,” an observer adds.
