The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) officially declared Tropical Cyclone Freddy as the longest tropical cyclone ever recorded in history. The phenomenon lasted for 36 days.
Freddy made landfall in the Indian Ocean basin, starting off the coast of northwestern Australia, and reached southern Africa in February and March 2023. The cyclone has caused significant economic losses and loss of life in the countries it has passed through.
“Freddy was the longest tropical cyclone at 36 days. That’s a new world record for the longest duration of a tropical cyclone,” said WMO Committee member Chris Velden.
The previous record was held by Tropical Cyclone John in the North Pacific Ocean which occurred in 1994. The UN weather agency recorded that Hurricane John lasted for 714 hours or 28.75 days.
Meanwhile, Freddy was declared the second longest cyclone in terms of distance, traveling 12,785 km. The first place was held by John, who was able to travel 13,159 km. The WMO said that such a distance is equivalent to almost 33% of the Earth’s circumference.
“The storm was not only long-lived but also had the ability to survive multiple interactions on land, which unfortunately had significant consequences for the populations of southeast Africa,” Velden said.
Due to its long duration and distance traveled and its landward travel, Freddy was particularly destructive in Madagascar, Malawi, and Mozambique. In Malawi, more than 1,200 people were reported dead or missing and more than 2,100 were injured.
In Mozambique, more than 1.3 million people were affected, with more than 180 deaths. In Madagascar, nearly 200,000 people were affected by the storm. Damage caused by Freddy is estimated at US$481 million. (Ant/Z-11)
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