Cyclone Freddy, which devastated Africa last year, has been confirmed as the longest-lasting tropical cyclone by the United Nations. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Freddy’s 36-day existence surpassed the 29.75-day existence of Tropical Storm John in 1994. Despite this, John traveled the farthest, crossing nearly a third of the Earth’s circumference, equivalent to 13,159 km, while Freddy’s travel distance was 12,785 km.
Chris Velden, a tropical storm and satellite expert at the University of Wisconsin, described Freddy as a remarkable tropical cyclone due to its long duration and its ability to survive multiple ground interactions, affecting people in southeast Africa. The WMO does not directly link Freddy’s long lifespan to climate change caused by human activity but acknowledges that climate change is associated with an increased risk of severe storms.
Freddy formed off northwestern Australia, becoming a named storm on February 6. It made landfall in Madagascar on February 21 and Mozambique on February 24, causing fatalities, heavy rains