Half the deaths from Atlantic hurricanes are down to storm surge. People in vulnerable regions need to be aware of what it is and how it threatens their safety.
Cyclones Trevor and Veronica hit north Australia in 2019.
NASA Earth Observatory handout/EPA/AAP
In 1887 Queensland’s chief weatherman Clement Wragge began naming tropical cyclones, using names from the Greek alphabet, fabulous beasts and politicians who annoyed him.
In recent years, the delay and failure of rains in Kenya has become a norm.
Flood waters cover large tracts of land in Mozambique after cyclone Idai made landfall. Rapidly rising floodwaters have cut off thousands of families from aid organizations.
(World Food Programme via AP)
What raises a common winter storm to the level of ‘bomb cyclone’? It’s all about rapid, sharp changes in atmospheric pressure – and the scientists who coined the term meant to highlight their power.
An annual assessment of the health of Australia’s environment shows mostly stable conditions in 2017, but ecosystems on land and at sea suffered ever higher temperatures.
Cyclone Ava caused hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage in Madagascar.
deruneinholbare/Flickr
After Cyclone Tracy, you’d expect Darwin of all cities to be ready for the next one. But as the clean-up after Cyclone Marcus continues, it’s clear more must be done to increase the city’s resilience.
Acacia Pepler, Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Andrew Dowdy, Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Eun-Pa Lim, Australian Bureau of Meteorology y Pandora Hope, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
The US was hit by a ‘bomb cyclone’ last week, bringing icy cold and driving snow. These storms develop very rapidly, forming outside the tropics, typically on continental east coasts in winter.
Mass evacuations in response to natural disasters like Hurricane Maria are a logistical challenge, but also face psychological barriers to residents being willing and able to leave.
EPA
Promoting individual resilience will contribute to reductions in disaster threats for at-risk communities globally.
Isiah Courtney carries his dog Bruce through flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Beaumont Place, Houston, Texas, U.S., on August 28, 2017.
REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman