Cyclones in Somalia
Cyclones occur rarely in Somalia. On average, they happen about once per year. The hardest hit regions are Puntland and Galmudug.The typical cyclone season depends on the summer monsoon. In the months before (May to June) and after (October to November), the most severe storms occur.
Somalia has certainly been affected by the foothills of several cyclones, but during the past 12 months no cyclone reached the inhabited areas on land.
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Current satellite image of the Indian Ocean
06.02.2023 © CIMSS University of Wisconsin-Madison
Most violent cyclones in Somalia since 2018
Gati: November 20-24, 2020
Region:
Arabian Sea
Wind speed:
max. 139 km/h
on land:
max. 120 km/h
Diameter:
max. 111 km
Eye:
max. 37 km
Air pressure:
below 976 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
Affected regions
Puntland
Puntland
Pawan: November 30 to December 7, 2019
Region:
Arabian Sea
Wind speed:
max. 74 km/h
on land:
max. 65 km/h
Diameter:
max. 482 km
Air pressure:
below 998 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Puntland
Galmudug
Puntland
Galmudug
Kyaar:kyarr: October 22 to November 3, 2019
Region:
Arabian Sea
Wind speed:
max. 241 km/h
Diameter:
max. 370 km
Air pressure:
below 922 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 4
The cyclone did not make direct landfall. On November 2nd, 2019 at 9:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 92 km west of Bargaal in Puntland.
These evaluations are based on data from the National Centers for Environmental Information of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Individual data have been summarized or translated.