Why Yemen Was Hit by a Rare Tropical Cyclone

A rare tropical cyclone in the Middle East made landfall in Yemen early Tuesday, causing rain and flooding unseen in decades. The storm marks the latest surprise in an unusual year for tropical storms. The storm—named Cyclone Chapala—made landfall with wind speeds of approximately 100 mph near the seaport city of Mukalla before heading back to sea, according to a report from the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The storm has since moved back over land and is expected to lead to widespread flooding before weakening over the next 24 hours. “Flooding really is the big worry here, a phenomenal amount of flooding,” said Climate Central meteorologist Sean Sublette. “You’ve got to think there’s going to be some type of humanitarian crisis out of this.” Meteorologists explained the unusual storm as a result of incredibly warm waters and a lack of strong winds in the background environment. High marine surface temperatures, which are currently at record levels in the region, help water evaporate and join a forming hurricane. Background winds, which disrupt cyclone winds and keep them from strengthening, were largely absent in this case. Read More: Why ‘Once-In-A-Lifetime’ Flooding Keeps Happening One or two tropical cyclones—identical in structure to hurricanes or typhoons—will hit the Arabian Sea each year, but they are rarely as strong as Cyclone Chapala. The storm is among the strongest Yemen has seen since e...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized weather Yemen Source Type: news