File:Tropical Storm Sangar (MODIS 2018-05-21).jpg

English: On May 19, 2018, Tropical Cyclone Sagar made landfall in northwestern Somalia, bringing flooding rains and heavy winds to the flat, arid region.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the storm resulted in the loss of lives, crops, and livestock as well as the destruction of property and infrastructure. As of May 20, the heavy rains and subsequent flooding continue to affect the ability to access some of the areas affected by the cyclone to assess the extent of damage and provide assistance. At least 16 people died in the storm and many more – including 40 fisherman at sea at the time of landfall – remain missing.

Tropical Cyclone Sagar formed in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and northern Somalia on May 16, with heavy rains reaching the coast of Somalia on May 17. At 4 p.m. EDT (0900 UTC) the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Tropical Cyclone Sagar was centered near 11.6 degrees north latitude and 45.9 degrees east longitude, approximately 89 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen. Maximum sustained winds had increased to 60 mph (111 km/h) and Sagar was moving to the west-southwest at 6.9 mph (11.1 km/h). The winds were sustained as the storm approached the coast of Africa.

Once over Somalia, Sagar continued to track inland as it weakened to a tropical depression on May 20. While wind speeds have dropped, the system continues to bring rain as far inland as Ethiopia.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of Tropical Storm Sagar spinning up in the Gulf of Aden.