Freddy broke records for the number of times after weakening and reintensification, and set the record for the most cumulative energy for a single hurricane—more energy over its lifetime than an entire typical U.S. hurricane season.
A persistent cyclone that has refused to dissipate has ripped through Malawi and Mozambique, killing at least 56 people and leaving many injured or missing.
at least 51 dead Malawi Five of them have been confirmed dead Mozambique.
Authorities in Malawi said they expected the death toll to rise.
Cyclone Freddy hit Africa for the second time in a month on Saturday night, causing widespread devastation.
It broke the record for the number of times it re-boosted after weakening – seven times.
It will also become the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record and hold the record for the highest cumulative storm energy — the amount of energy a hurricane releases over a given period of time — ever recorded.
It has recorded more energy in its lifetime so far than the entire typical U.S. hurricane season.
The regional center of Meteo-France, the French meteorological service, said the cyclone had not subsided and warned of “continued heavy rain over the next 48 hours”.
Freddy made landfall at the seaport of Quelimane in Mozambique’s Zambézia province on Saturday, where there were reports of damage to houses and farmland.
A family in Malawi has died after high winds and heavy rain destroyed their home, according to authorities.
Authorities said a three-year-old child was “trapped in the rubble” among those killed and her parents were reported missing.
Regarding the number of casualties and missing persons, Malawi police spokesman Peter Karaya said: “We suspect the number will rise as we are trying to compile a national report from the Southwest, Southeastern and Eastern police stations covering the affected areas. “
Last month, the storm moved across the entire southern Indian Ocean from near Australia, passing Madagascar and Reunion Island.
The United Nations weather agency will determine whether Freddie broke the 31-day longest tropical cyclone record set by Hurricane John in 1994.
Météo France also said Freddy should subside and return to sea by Wednesday.
Experts say that while fossil fuel-driven climate change has not increased the overall number of tropical cyclones, it has increased the number of intense and damaging storms in three key ways.
A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, increasing extreme rainfall from storms. Hotter oceans also fuel stronger storms, spreading tropical storms farther north and south. Higher sea levels also cause more damage during storm surges.