Choose a single weather event that had a major impact on a particular city, region or your life
(you must first have the event cleared with me before you begin).
Your research paper will give a comprehensive account of the event, describing the evolution of
the storm throughout its entire life cycle from formation to dissipation. What meteorological
factors led to the storm’s development? Discuss how accurate or inaccurate initial forecasts
were for the event. Also, be sure to describe the major societal impacts or damage the storm
caused for a particular area (news articles can be good sources for this information). Also, in
your opinion, what could have been done differently to improve the preparation before the
event?
Sample Answer
Since we are in Kitale, Trans-Nzoia County, one of the most significant weather events to impact our region in recent history was the catastrophic flooding and landslides of May 2020. While much of the world was focused on the pandemic, our local community was battling an environmental crisis triggered by the "Enhanced Long Rains."
Here is a comprehensive account of that event.
1. Meteorological Evolution: From Formation to Dissipation
The May 2020 floods were not caused by a single cyclone, but by a powerful Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) pulse interacting with a strong Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).
Formation and Drivers
The event began in late April 2020. The primary meteorological factor was the warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the western Indian Ocean. This moisture was pushed toward East Africa, meeting cold air masses from the Ethiopian highlands.
The Convergence Zone: As the moisture hit the Mt. Elgon and Cherangany Hills massifs, "orographic lifting" occurred. This forced the moist air to rise rapidly, cool, and condense into massive cumulonimbus clouds.