A deadly cyclone ripped through the islands of Mayotte on December 14, 2024. Cyclone Chido’s hurricane-force winds downed electric poles, uprooted trees, and tore roofs off homes in the French territory, according to news reports.
Chido formed in the southeastern Indian Ocean on December 5, 2024. The disturbance rapidly intensified before hitting the Mauritian islands of Agaléga on December 11. The next day, the cyclone peaked in intensity, with sustained winds of about 250 kilometers (155 miles) per hour—equivalent to a strong Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale.
According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Cyclone Chido continued to move west in an environment favorable for sustaining storms. That included warm sea surface temperatures of up to 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit) and low vertical wind shear.
After Chido’s center passed just north of Madagascar on December 13, the storm made landfall on northern Mayotte the morning of December 14 with sustained winds of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour. The image above, acquired by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-20 satellite, shows the cyclone at 10:15 a.m. Universal Time, about three hours after making landfall.
Chido was the strongest storm to hit Mayotte in more than 90 years, according to Météo-France. The European Union’s preliminary satellite assessment of the aftermath found widespread damage to structures in eastern and northern parts of Mayotte, including the populated capital of Mamoudzou on the main island (Grande Terre) and the airport on the eastern island of Pamandzi (Petite Terre).
After devastating Mayotte, the cyclone continued west and hit Mozambique on December 15. During all three landfalls, the storm carried winds equivalent to those of a Category 4 tropical cyclone.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Emily Cassidy.
