Zombie storm which came back from the dead

LONDON. — A ‘‘zombie storm’’ has left a trail of devastation, with tens of thousands of people’s homes being destroyed — but while experts thought its power would dwindle, Cyclone Freddy continues to come back from the dead.

The weather system has caused a stir among meteorologists, as it rampages across the Indian Ocean.

Its powerful winds of around 100 miles an hour and the deluge of rain that have hammered countries such as Mozambique and Madagascar have led to 21 people being killed.

Cyclone Freddy is on track to become the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record, as it has continued to gain momentum since February 5, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

It is now the ‘strongest’ storm, with it having the most accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), a measure of the storm’s strength over time, since Cyclone Loke in 2006, according to the UN. Many scientists believe the storm should have lost its power, but the rare weather phenomenon keeps intensifying and coming back to life as a ‘‘zombie storm’’.

One of the key reasons Cyclone Freddy is causing so much interest is because no other tropical cyclone observed in the southern hemisphere has taken a path across the Indian Ocean in the past two decades.

It is one of only four systems which have crossed the southern Indian Ocean from east to west — the others were cyclones Litanne in 1994 as well as Leon–Eline and Hudah in 2000.

Freddy formed over a month ago on February 5 near Indonesia and barrelled a huge 4,000 miles before hitting Madagascar, according to Australian satellites monitoring its movements. The dangerous storm hammered eastern Madagascar, before moving across the channel and slamming Mozambique.

Freddy then circling back to cause a bout of heavy rainfall in Madagascar, killing 21 people across both nations, as of Thursday.

As Mozambique struggles to recover from the destruction of over 28,000 homes, Freddy is again gaining energy for a rare second hit on the country forecasted for tonight, according to a regional weather centre.

As Cyclone Freddy whirls into its 32nd day, an international expert task force from the WMO is being assembled to investigate why the deadly weather system has managed to survive so long.

Its re-emergence has baffled meteorologists with its constant shift of direction and multiple record-breaking feats as it batters multiple countries. — ITV.