Cyclone Gati : 2 Years Worth Of Rain In 2 Days | UPSC
HEADLINES:
Cyclone Gati spurs locust outbreak threat in Somalia
WHY IN NEWS:
Gati, the strongest tropical cyclone ever measured Somalia, made landfall on November 22, 2020
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 1 : Geography : Cyclones
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS go through the winds and pattern , Factor affecting the cyclone and do not forget the region affected.
For MAINS track the locust menace . Analyse the food security and other threats in the region . Let us dive in !
ISSUE:
CYCLONE GATI
SOURCES : NASA
OVERVIEW
- On November 22, 2020, Cyclone Gati became the strongest storm to hit Somalia since satellite records began five decades ago.
- The storm brought more than a year’s worth of rain to the region in two days.
WINDSPEED
- Tropical Cyclone Gati struck the arid nation of Somalia on Sunday as the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds
- Gati, the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded Somalia, made landfall on November 22, 2020.-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- At one point before the landfall, Gati’s winds were measured at 115 mph.
- It is the first recorded instance of a hurricane-strength system hitting the country.
STRENGTH
- According to the meteorologists, Gati strengthened rapidly because it was located in an area of warm water and low wind shear.
- Although the storm slightly weakened before landfall, Gati brought exceptional amounts of rain to northern Somalia.
AREAS AFFECTED
LANDFALL
- Gati made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 170 kilometers (105 miles) per hour, a category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
- The image was acquired by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite.
SOURCES : NASA
DESTRUCTION
- Local authorities report at least eight people were killed and thousands have been displaced.
LOCUS ATTACKS
- Heavy rainfall due to the cyclone in the East African nation are likely to provide suitable conditions for breeding of locusts and aggravate the crisis.
- Intensive aerial and ground control operations continue in both countries.
- The locust outbreak of 2019 to early 2020 across several East African countries had posed a serious risk to food security and livelihoods.
CYCLONES – SWARM ORIGINATORS
- There is a correlation between the intensification of cyclones in 2018 and 2019 and the locust outbreaks in 2020.
- Cyclones of 2018 and 2019 facilitated origin and breeding of locusts.
- Extreme weather events led by climate change, increases in temperature and rainfall over desert areas.
THREAT TO FOOD SECURITY
- FAO has warned about the threat to southern Somalia from locust swarms in December 2020.
- But with Gati, Somalia along with Ethiopia and Kenya may be staring at another cycle of locusts outbreaks in 2021.
- In early to mid-2021, the acutely food insecure population is likely to rise to over 2.5 million in Somalia.
- FAO has called for scaled up desert locust surveillance and control operations as the Somali populations are already facing multiple threats to food security.
IASbhai WINDUP:
PREVIOUS CYCLONES
- The three cyclones in 2018 and two in 2019 contributed to the 2020 locust upsurge in the Horn of Africa including Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya
- It was the first named cyclone of the 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season.
- Tropical Cyclone Pawan, which made landfall in Puntland State of Somalia on December 7, 2019, too, was devastating.
SOURCES: DownToEarth | Cyclone Gati : 2 Years Worth of Rain In 2 Days | UPSC
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