# Cyclones that hit Somalia, 2013 to 2020: Puntland 2013, Sagar, Pawan and Gati > Every tropical cyclone that hit Somalia from 2013 to 2020: the 2013 Puntland cyclone, Sagar, Pawan and Gati, with deaths, damage and the areas hit, plus the cyclones of 2015 and 2018 that passed close by. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/cyclones-in-somalia-2013-2020/ Last checked: 2026-11-13 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## In short | Cyclone | Date | Areas hit | Deaths | Source | |---|---|---|---|---| | Puntland cyclone | 10 November 2013 | Puntland | 162 | [ReliefWeb, TC-2013-000140-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2013-000140-som) | | Sagar | 17–20 May 2018 | Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Bari, Sanaag | not totalled | [ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000059-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2018-000059-som) | | Pawan | 6–8 December 2019 | Nugaal, Bari, Sanaag | 2 in Las Qoray | [ReliefWeb, TC-2019-000165-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2019-000165-som) | | Gati | 22–25 November 2020 | Bari, Sanaag | at least 8 to 9 | [ReliefWeb, TC-2020-000232-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2020-000232-som) | Each ReliefWeb record gathers the situation reports of OCHA, the Red Cross (IFRC), FAO and others, with dates. The quotes below come from those reports. ## November 2013: the Puntland cyclone A tropical cyclone hit [Puntland](/en/states/puntland/) on 10 November 2013. With the flash floods that followed, it killed **162 people**, killed about **1 million livestock** and destroyed over 1,000 houses, according to government figures cited by the IFRC ([ReliefWeb, TC-2013-000140-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2013-000140-som); IFRC, 11 December 2013). - Herders lost **70 to 90%** of their animals. Irrigation farmers lost their crops and pumps. Fishermen lost boats and gear. - The Puntland government declared a natural disaster on 11 November and asked for international help. - Aid began to arrive on 14 November. By 24 November over 5,000 households had received food and other supplies from WFP, the ICRC, IOM, the Puntland government, local people and the Somali diaspora. ## May 2018: Cyclone Sagar Sagar formed in the [Gulf of Aden](/en/relations/yemen/) on 16 May 2018 and brought heavy rain to the Puntland coast on 17 May. There were flash floods in [Bari](/en/regions/bari/), damage to the road south from Bosaso, and fishing boats washed away off [Sanaag](/en/regions/sanaag/) ([ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000059-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2018-000059-som); OCHA, 19 May 2018). - Sagar made landfall in the west. Most deaths were in coastal **[Woqooyi Galbeed](/en/regions/woqooyi-galbeed/) and [Awdal](/en/regions/awdal/)**, where houses were destroyed and livestock washed away (OCHA, 20 May 2018). - Floods slowed aid workers' access (OCHA, 20 May 2018). - By 20 May the storm was weakening over Ethiopia, Djibouti and north-west [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/), about 140 km from Hargeisa (OCHA, 20 May 2018). ## December 2019: Cyclone Pawan Pawan reached the Puntland coast on 7 December 2019. **Two people died** in floods in Las Qoray, Sanaag, and roads to the town were damaged ([ReliefWeb, TC-2019-000165-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2019-000165-som); ECHO, 10 December 2019). - The worst-hit areas were Eyl and Dangorayo in [Nugaal](/en/regions/nugaal/), Qardho in Karkaar, and [Alula](/en/regions/caluula/), Iskushuban and [Baargaal](/en/regions/bargaal/) in Bari (IFRC, 20 December 2019). - It damaged camps for displaced people, roads, schools, telecom towers and power lines (IFRC, 20 December 2019). - FAO said "exceptionally high rainfall and cyclone Pawan" made the [desert locust outbreak](/en/society/desert-locusts-2019-2021/) worse ([UN Somalia / FAO, 18 December 2019](https://somalia.un.org/en/node/33942)). ## November 2020: Cyclone Gati Gati made landfall at about 22:00 on 22 November 2020 at Ras [Hafun](/en/history/ancient-port-of-opone-ras-hafun/), Bari. The IFRC called it "the strongest ever storm to hit Somalia", with sustained winds of 170 km/h. It "brought more than a year's worth of rain to the region in two days" ([ReliefWeb, TC-2020-000232-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2020-000232-som); IFRC, 3 December 2020). - **Villages hit.** Thirteen villages in Iskushuban district were hardest hit, including Xaafuun, Dul Xaafuun, Hurdiya, Foocaar and Baarmadowe. About 15,000 people in Xaafuun and Hurdiya moved to higher ground (OCHA, 23 November 2020). - **People affected.** OCHA put the number affected in Bari at about 180,000, including 38,000 in Bosaso. The IFRC gave 42,000 displaced across Puntland and Somaliland (OCHA, 30 November 2020; IFRC, 3 December 2020). - **Deaths.** At least eight to nine people were killed. About 30 fishermen at sea before the alert were missing on 23 November (OCHA, 23 and 30 November 2020). - **Damage.** More than 700 houses destroyed, boats and fishing gear damaged, many livestock lost (FAO, 24 November 2020). - **Aid.** By 8 December over 78,000 of 101,000 targeted people had received help (OCHA, 9 December 2020). Hafun was also the town worst hit by [the 2004 tsunami](/en/society/tsunami-2004-somalia/). ## Cyclones that passed close by These storms hit Yemen, Socotra or [Oman](/en/diaspora/oman/) rather than mainland Somalia. ReliefWeb lists them among Somalia-related disasters. - **Chapala**, landfall in Yemen on 3 November 2015 ([ReliefWeb, TC-2015-000149-YEM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2015-000149-yem)). - **Megh**, over Socotra on 8 November 2015 ([ReliefWeb, TC-2015-000152-YEM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2015-000152-yem)). - **Mekunu**, landfall in Oman on 26 May 2018 after crossing Socotra ([ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000062-YEM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2018-000062-yem)). - **Luban**, landfall in Yemen on 14 October 2018 ([ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000163-YEM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2018-000163-yem)). ## Sources - ReliefWeb. [Somalia: Tropical Cyclone – Nov 2013](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2013-000140-som) (IFRC, 11 December 2013). - ReliefWeb. [Tropical Cyclone Sagar – May 2018](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2018-000059-som) (OCHA, 19 and 20 May 2018). - ReliefWeb. [Tropical Cyclone Pawan – Dec 2019](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2019-000165-som) (FAO, IFRC, ECHO, December 2019). - ReliefWeb. [Tropical Cyclone Gati – Nov 2020](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2020-000232-som) (OCHA, FAO, IFRC, November and December 2020). - ReliefWeb. Records for Chapala, Megh, Mekunu and Luban, linked above. --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.