Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which made landfall on the east coast of Madagascar on February 21, 2023. 

“As Freddy made landfall north of Mananjary around 7:20 p.m. local time, its winds measured about 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour, but precise wind speeds at landfall were yet to be confirmed. The coastal town of Mananjary, home to 25,000 people, was previously hit hard in February 2022 by the deadly Cyclone Batsirai,” says NASA.

“Forecasts called for Freddy to bring damaging winds, storm surge, and heavy rains as the storm moves inland. Rainfall may be especially damaging in places still recovering from Cyclone Cheneso, which killed dozens of people and left thousands homeless in the island nation in January 2023.”

According to the UK Met Office, Freddy formed near Indonesia on February 6 and traveled about 7,200 kilometers across the Indian Ocean.

“The 15-day lifespan of the cyclone is unusual; few cyclones travel so far and are sustained for so long. The longest-lived tropical cyclone in the southern hemisphere was Leon-Eline in 2000, which was sustained for 18.5 days and traveled a similar path to Freddy,” says NASA.

The image was captured by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-20 satellite. 

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Editor

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