Gafilo, a devastating cyclone at category 5 status

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WXBUFFJIM
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Gafilo, a devastating cyclone at category 5 status

#1 Postby WXBUFFJIM » Sat Mar 06, 2004 11:51 am

A devastating cyclone, Gafilo is still developing over the western Indian Ocean. https://metoc.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc/warnings/sh1604.gif has info on this category 5 cyclone, Gafilo. Maximum sustained winds with Gafilo are 160 mph with higher gusts.

Satellite imaginary https://metoc.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc/satsh ... 04sams.jpg shows this devastating cyclone moving west southwest. Madagascar is in the direct path of this devastating cyclone. Madagascar is located east of the African continent over the western Indian Ocean.

Notice also how the low pressure is spiriling clockwise. In the southern hemisphere, low pressure spirls around clockwise, while in the northern hemisphere, low pressure spirls around counterclockwise.

Jim
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Yes, a very devastating cyclone...

#2 Postby Hyperstorm » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:56 pm

It's an extraordinarily strong cyclone for this area. It's not that common for one this intense to head straight into this island. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that it will hit the most populated area of the island, but in any case, the area that will be affected will certainly be squashed by its fury. Did you look at the eye over the last few images? It seems to be contracting. Signs of an even more powerful system at landfall? This is incredible! Hopefully, the people in this island are aware of this monster coming their way.
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#3 Postby wxman57 » Sat Mar 06, 2004 7:14 pm

That link you posted was dead, here's one that is working:

https://metoc.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc/satsh ... 04sair.jpg
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#4 Postby Aslkahuna » Sat Mar 06, 2004 7:33 pm

imagery shows that the storm is just about ready to make landfall on the NE coast of the island. The forecast track turns the storm S in the interior of the island as it weakens to 80kt. With a storm of this intensity and size, such a track would be a monumental disaster due to the enormous rainfall in the mountainous interior. Madagascar practices slash and burn agriculture and those slopes are denuded which will result un massive flooding and landslides.

Steve
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#5 Postby Hurricanehink » Sat Mar 06, 2004 7:35 pm

Gafilo is now making landfall as we speak. The eye is over Northeastern Madagascar, and I hope it quickly dies. Good luck to the people there right now...
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ColdFront77

#6 Postby ColdFront77 » Sat Mar 06, 2004 8:03 pm

 
To get some sort of idea, the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo is 4,511 feet (1,375 meters) above sea level. -- which is .854 miles high.


Image
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#7 Postby msbee » Mon Mar 08, 2004 10:53 am

this report was posted on Reuters today:
Gafilo hits Madagascar, 50,000 feared homeless
By Tim Large and Honore Razafintsalama
Tropical Storm Risk imagery shows Gafilo's projected path.
TropicalStormRisk.com
LONDON/ANTANANARIVO (AlertNet) – Madagascar called for international aid on Monday as a powerful cyclone tore across the northern half of the island, killing at least 18 and leaving as many as 50,000 people homeless, according to initial reports.

Local media said the government had declared tropical cyclone Gafilo a “national emergency” and had appealed for food, water and medicine from the international community.

State-run Radio Madagasikara said 18 people had been killed, three by a falling tree, one by electrocution and 10 by drowning as the cyclone swept across the island, packing average winds of 220 km per hour (137 miles per hour).

Imaz Press Reunion, a news service based in neighbouring Reunion island, said it was too early to assess the full toll.

“According to initial assessments by the Madagascan authorities, 50,000 people have been counted as homeless,” it said in its online edition.

Gafilo made landfall late on Sunday before churning across the northern part of the giant Indian Ocean island, destroying buildings, uprooting trees and flooding towns.

It was forecast to head out to sea before looping back onto the southwestern half of the island early on Tuesday.

“Homes have been destroyed, along with schools and other buildings,” an official with the Red Cross in Madagscar told AlertNet, adding that a full assessment was underway.

Mark Saunders, lead scientist with TropicalStormRisk.com, which tracks cyclones from the University College London’s Department of Space and Climate Physics, said initial information pointed to a major disaster.

“Reports are coming in of gusts reaching 330 km per hour,” he said. “The northeastern part of the country seems to be devastated.”

The disaster comes just a month after another cylone, Elita, tore across the vanilla-producing country, killing 29 and leaving 44,000 homeless.

# See Very intense tropical cyclone Gafilo for a forecast of the cyclone’s path from Tropical Storm Risk.
# See NASA’s Earth Observatory for a satellite image of Gafilo.
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WOW! 205MPH

#8 Postby KatDaddy » Mon Mar 08, 2004 12:43 pm

330KPH equals 205MPH.......Complete destruction!!!
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#9 Postby HurricaneGirl » Thu Mar 11, 2004 9:28 am

OMG!! Holy Crap!! :eek:
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