INT: Severe Cylone Bondo Razes Agalega

"Severe Cyclone" Bondo, approaching Madagascar's northern tip [Google Map], is not "sticking together" (haha) as much today as it was at its peak yesterday, when it boasted sustained winds of 140 knots (161 mph).

All joking aside, the storm almost certainly razed the small, unlabeled island [Google Map | Zoom] shown on the satellite images below. The island, called Agalega, is owned by Mauritius. Global Surf News says that "Bondo already brought over 11 inches of rain to the island of Agalega.

The equivalent of hurricanes, these storms in the southwest Indian Ocean have no classification other than the word "cyclone," which is also used internationally to describe any low pressure system including a tornado. As such, there is no classification like "super typhoon" or "category 5 hurricane" but either name would fit this storm's description yesterday, when the incredible satellite shots above and below were captured by the U.S. Navy's Tropical Storm website. Their current storm track has the storm brushing the northern coast of Madagascar then turning southwest towards Africa. From the University of Hawaii's track archive, it looks like it hasn't happened since 2003.

AccuWeather.com International Expert Jim Andrews (PREMIUM | PRO) has been tracking the storm; refer to him for addiitonal information. He says that a landfall in Africa would be rare, but it has happened.

SHOWING AGALEGA AFTER PASSAGE

ZOOMED EYE DETAIL

SUPER-HUGE VERSION OF ABOVE | COLOR-CORRECTED

SEE ALSO: IR IMAGE | VIS IMAGE ON APPROACH