Cyclone Gamede
Cyclone Gamede was one of the wettest cyclones ever. It rained on Réunion in a period of nine days around 5500 mm of rainfall from - the equivalent of about ten times the annual rainfall in the Upper Rhine Plain. The seventh tropical cyclone, the cyclone season in 2006-2007 Südwestindik was formed on February 20, south of Diego Garcia as a tropical depression. This generally migrated westward and intensified steadily. Gamede moved as extensive, but only moderately strong cyclone northwest past Mauritius and Réunion. The cyclone remained for four days within a radius of 400 km around Réunion, before he sped south and on March 3, south of Madagascar to an extratropical cyclone was.
Gamede broke for the period between three and nine days, the rainfall records that were set by the tropical cyclone Hyacinthe 27 years previously. The rain caused moderate damage to Réunion. A bridge in the south of the island collapsed in connection with the storm, and a woman was swept away by flood waters and no longer found. In Mauritius, two people were killed. The name Gamede was proposed by the World Meteorological Organization of South Africa.
Storm History
On February 19, there was about a weak, but well-defined ground-level circulation center about 1130 kilometers southeast of Diego Garcia, a convection area. This rapidly formed from rain bands and organized into a tropical disturbance. The area lies at an anticyclone learned so slight vertical wind shear and a low discharge. The fault was quickly led westward by a subtropical ridge to the south. Early in the February 20 classified Météo -France ( MFR), the system as a Tropical Depression Ten, and during the day gave the Joint Typhoon Warning Center Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert from one, because the convection was much better organized. The system intensified further to reach on February 21 at 0:00 UTC clock the status of a tropical storm six hours later and gave Météo -France to the system the name Gamède; at this time the center was about 785 km south-southwest of Diego Garcia and about 995 km north-east of Rodrigues.
After that Gamede intensified rapidly and reached early on 22 February, according to the JTWC lasting one-minute wind speeds of 140 km / h ( 75 knots). As the cyclone turned to a west- southwesterly direction, one eye was visible on satellite imagery, and the JTWC classified as a tropical cyclone Gamede an equivalent to category 1 of the Saffir -Simpson Hurricane Scale. The intensification rate is now decreased somewhat, due to the limitation of the effluent. As a responsible météorologique Centre régional spécialisé Météo -France downgraded to a tropical cyclone high only on 23 February at 00:00 UTC clock. and a short time later Gamede pulled over the Cargados Carajos Islands of time. Subsequently, the discharge stable and developed the JTWC estimated the cyclone reached that late on February 23, about 250 km north-east of Mauritius lasting one-minute wind speeds of 185 km / h. First, a further intensification was predicted, however, began a slight slowdown because a nearby upper trough disabled the discharge.
Cyclone Gamede remained an extensive system and on February 24 the zone of storm strong winds ranged southeast of the center to a distance of 670 km; later moved the cyclone at a distance of about 300 km north of Reunion past and made so that its closest approximation to the island. More than 90 hours the cyclone remained within a distance of 400 km from Réunion and caused so persistent heavy rain in the mountains of the island. Weather radar observations suggest that Gamede an eye entertained with a diameter of 60-70 km. After the cyclone had moved several days in a southwesterly direction, changed to an uplifting ridge south of the storm, its direction of pull on a more westward track before Gamede remained almost stationary. It was originally predicted that the cyclone would continue west drag and meet near Toamasina on the coast of Madagascar, but when the cyclone reintensivierte, he executed a small loop before late on February 25, with wind speeds of 165 km / h about halfway between Réunion and Madagascar reached its greatest strength. In wind gusts Gamede reached at this stage wind speeds of up to 230 km / h
The cyclone then weakened when he remained almost stationary and due to buoyancy forfeited most of its convection; Buoyancy is the process in which a stationary system the water surface temperature brings to sink because colder water from the depths comes to the surface. Gamede remained almost stationary until late on 26 February began a steady south- southwest directed movement, which was caused by an approaching trough subtropical in the south. On February 28, the convection took about a new constructive Eyewall on again before the system accelerated to the south; on March 1, the cyclone lost again in strength because the wind shear increased and decreased water temperatures continuously. Gamede weakened to a tropical storm when its center was separated from the deep convection and late on 1 March, the storm changed an extratropical system. After the transition of the storm remained nearly two days on the spot, while the wind speeds decreased below gale force. The remnant low of Gamede turned westward and lasted until its dissolution on March 6.
Preparations
Examined in Mauritius because of the cyclone around 200 residents on emergency shelters. The island stand for 36 hours under the cyclone warning stage III and some more hours under the warning level IV, the latter means that winds more than 120 km / h occurred or were expected.
Before the storm approached the island, closed the authorities of Réunion schools and imposed a temporary ban. Due to the impending storm, several flights were canceled to and from Mauritius, Reunion Rodrigues ind.
Effects and Records
At noon of February 23 Gamede cyclone swept over the Cargados Carajos Islands, where an air pressure of 960 hPa was measured.
The cyclone had on 25 February impact on Mauritius. The power supply was interrupted for 70 % of the island's population, some light damage to the infrastructure was also reported. Agriculture, too, was affected. Despite the warnings of the authorities to remain inside the houses, several people held during the cyclone outdoors. Gamede killed two people in Mauritius, of which one was drowned in the high waves.
The vast size of the cyclone resulted in the highlands of Reunion of several days, prolonged, very heavy rainfall. The island is the site of several tropical Niderschlagsrekorde; due to the orography of the island must ascend the moisture to the volcanic peaks, which therefore leads to their cooling and rain. The heaviest rainfall occurred in the period from February 24 to 28. On lying in around 2,300 m Cratère Commerson 2463 mm of rainfall was measured in a 48 - hour period, which is only slightly below the record figure of an unnamed tropical cyclone in April 1958. Gamede broke rainfall world record in the period between three and nine days; the entire contiguous with the storm rainfall on Cratère Commerson totaled 5512 mm; Cyclone Hyacinthe in 1980, however, the wettest tropical cyclone remains at all, as he produced greater amounts of rain within ten days. Several stations on the island reported very high amounts of rain within 24 hours; Hell-Bourg reported 1489 mm. In a 72-hour span 2321 mm were measured in Cilaos. On the island a Spitzenbö of 205 km / h was recorded.
In Réunion, the passage of the cyclone interrupted the supply of electricity and water for around 80,000 households. The rain verursachete Réunion some flood damage, especially the combination of precipitation and strong winds causes severe damage to the crop of sugar cane and bananas. Several road and bridges on the island were damaged. A 520 m long bridge over the Rivière Saint- Étienne at Saint -Louis collapsed; Material damage caused by the Gamede was estimated at 20 million euros. A woman was purged with her car away and no longer found alive. Nine people on the island were injured by the effects of the storm, two of them seriously.
On 13 June 2007, the French government provided 17.6 million euros available, including 7.7 million euros for the repair of roads and infrastructure, including the reconstruction of the destroyed bridge over the Rivière Saint- Étienne and 9.6 million for by the cyclone damaged farmers.
Strong waves and winds had an impact on a cruise ship east of Madagascar; broke several windows, but there were no serious injuries. Generated Gamede thunderstorms and wind gusts on the east coast of Madagascar.
Gamede followed the tropical cyclones Bondo, Clovis and Favio on his foot and was the fourth cyclone within two months had an impact on Madagascar.