Cyclone Nkiruka

Cyclone Nkiruka was an extremely powerful West African Tropical Cyclone that struck Mauritania in early August of 2013. It only measured as a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, but was considered a Very Severe Tropical Cyclone on the AMACIS. It caused over $3 billion in damage, and killed lots of people, but it brought rains to crops in rural Mauritania. It also spawned the 2013 Sahara Sandstorm Outbreak which occurred in late August into September.

Meteorological History

On August 1, the AMA began monitoring a tropical disturbance in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It began to move northeastward towards Northern Africa, and the AMA began predicting to track towards Morocco. Rapid intensification began late on August 3, where it would accelerate northward quickly, but then slowed down due to some wind shear. By that time, it had been named Nkiruka. It continued to be a small storm, but was also intensifying quickly. It sped up, and reached peak intensity of 128 Mph on August 6. The AMA issued a Cyclone Watch for most of Mauritania, but forecasters were skeptical of it's actual path. Heavy rainfall began in Mauritania throughout the night of August 7. Later, Cyclone Nkiruka made landfall near Nouamghar, Mauritania, with winds of up to 128 MPH. The system quickly weakened, and moved inland, also causing rainfall in Algeria and Mali. The remnants of the cyclone dissipated late on August 9.

Aftermath

Many relief agencies immediately responded to Cyclone Nkiruka. Billions of dollars were put in by some charities in the United States. The French government offered condolences and also raised money for the relief of the cyclone. Many beaches in the country were completely eroded, and some coastal houses were completely destroyed. Some villages were completely flooded, and many people were killed, with the final death toll being about 456, with most being indirect. Most were killed because of mudslides near major villages. In total it cost $4.3 billion in damage.

Retirement

On December 21, 2013, the African Meteorological Administration retired the name Nkiruka, and replaced it with Nai for the 2018 season.