Meteorologists are monitoring more tropical development near Madagascar which could trigger flooding and also cause some locations to surpass their average yearly rainfall totals less than a quarter of the way into 2020.
The island is no stranger to an abundance of wet weather, including the threat of tropical downpours.
Much of central and northern Madagascar has been hit the hardest in the region since the start of the year; this includes a flooding event that took place at the end of January.
Northwest Madagascar, where the rivers run red in extreme flooding. Our thoughts are with those affected. Stay safe.
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February was quite similar for many in the region.
The city of Tamatave, located along the eastern shores of central Madagascar, was inundated with more than 600 mm (23 inches) of rain from Feb. 1 to Feb. 18. This brought the city's rainfall total so far this year to more than 1,080 mm (42.5 inches).
Occasionally, Tamatave is left exposed to any moisture that pushes onshore from the Indian Ocean, making it a generally wet place. However, the total average rainfall the city experiences is around 1,100 mm (43.3 inches).
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Another downpour or two could push many communities in Madagascar past their annual yearly rainfall amount before mid-March.
During that time, there will be the threat for not only rain, but also possible tropical development.
"A stalled front over the next week could lead to a tropical storm developing in the vicinity of Madagascar," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.
More than 50 mm (2 inches) of rain could fall in just one day, so the same areas hit several times could end up with over 100 mm (4 inches) by the end of the first week of March.
The above satellite image shows the stalled front, and the associated clouds, stretching from the open waters of the Indian Ocean to eastern Africa on Thursday afternoon (Photo/RAMMB).
Should a tropical depression or storm develop, the chances of heavy, flooding rainfall will increase, which will likely impact a more widespread area.
Even if an organized tropical system fails to materialize, rounds of wet weather are likely as long as the front is nearby to direct the tropical moisture.
The wet weather at the beginning of 2020 comes after Cyclone Belna hit Madagascar back in December. The storm was blamed for at least nine deaths.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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