Yemen Battered By First Hurricane Strength Storm
Wider view of where video in PT was taken in Mukalla. #Chapala pic.twitter.com/PXcfnzCbAy
— Iona Craig أيونا (@ionacraig) November 3, 2015
The city of Mukalla in Yemen is under water after Tropical Cyclone Chapala dumped heavy rain. The location is known for its dry weather, which sees less than four inches of rain per year. The storm dropped 20 inches in just a few days. The city of 300,000 people dealt with mudslides and flash floods. There are reports of multiple deaths; at least 25 injured, 21 missing, and more than 50 homes destroyed.
Mukalla UNDER WATER as #Chapala drowns city with 40 inches of water, 100,000's evacuate. #Yemen #اليمن pic.twitter.com/YVc3XamfIc
— Yemen Post Newspaper (@YemenPostNews) November 3, 2015
Record warm water temperatures in the Arabian Sea fueled the storm to the equivalence of a category three hurricane, with sustained winds of 120 mph. This is the first hurricane-strength storm to make landfall in Yemen. A weaker tropical depression reached land in 2008.
For WeatherNation: Monica Cryan
Image: NASA