Rare Tropical Storm in Gulf of Aden May Affect Yemen, Somalia, Djibouti

[malaise]

https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/rare-tropical-storm-gulf-aden-may-affect-yemen-somalia-djibouti
<snip>
Tropical Cyclone 1A, which developed late Wednesday between Yemen and Somalia, could become one of the first tropical storms on record to cross the entire Gulf of Aden—perhaps affecting even the tiny nation of Djibouti, where tropical cyclones are virtually unknown. TD 1A was named Cyclonic Storm Sagar by the Indian Meteorological Department, the agency with primary responsibility for tropical cyclone forecasting in the North Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea.

As of 3Z Thursday (11 pm EDT Wednesday), the center of Sagar was placed at about 260 miles east of Aden, Yemen, by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The JTWC pegged Sagar’s strength at 40 knots (45 mph), qualifying it as a weak tropical storm. Showers and thunderstorms pinwheeling around Sagar’s compact core were moving onto the Yemeni coast early Thursday, while a cluster of intense thunderstorms well southeast of Sagar was affecting northeast Somalia (see image above).

The main threat from Sagar will be heavy rainfall. The GFS model indicates that the highlands of northern Somalia could see localized rainfall of 10” or more, with totals perhaps exceeding 2” across other parts of northern Somalia and along the Yemeni coastline. Even those lower amounts are substantial totals in desert environments that don’t typically get much moisture, and where the rugged landscape is prone to flash flooding.

[jberryhill]

1. I hope that doesn't affect the launch

Germany sent an astronaut to an African space agency for an interplanetary mission.

It's the first European in Djibouti for Uranus.

(They might let me into fifth grade next year!)

[Hortensis]

2. "severe flash flooding...loss of life, livestock, crops, infrastructure."

When you think of all the mudslides in Mediterranean climate California, it's easy to imagine it's going to hit people who just don't see and build for this. Made me think of all those old mud villages on mountain ridges and their terraced fields.

And this. This 500-year-old city made of tough sun-dried mudbrick is well away from the coast, but near the foot of mountains in a large wadi, and water obviously runs through that wash the vehicle is crossing. Even in this climate, though, these buildings would have weathered a lot of storms. They're reportedly cooler, and warmer, than if made of concrete.

In Yemen, there's a city full of 500 year old skyscrapers made of mud

?itok=cZCdUoUq

https://www.citymetric.com/skylines/yemen-theres-city-full-500-year-old-skyscrapers-made-mud-1462

Hope it misses. Our Gulf Coast didn't get huge cholera outbreaks after Hurricane Harvey only because there was no Vibrio cholerae already there to cut loose.

[malaise]

3. It's really scary

They can't handle this weather

[Hortensis]

4. No, they can't. And they won't have the

large-scale emergency resources required for these disasters that just don't occur. Neither will neighboring states.

[Uncle Joe]

5. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread malaise

[msongs]

6. free water in the desert. drought relief nt