Climate change intensified Cyclone Chido as it barrelled toward the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, said a preliminary study by scientists studying the link between global warming and tropical storms.

Human-driven climate change contributed to the intensity of Cyclone Chido as it crossed Mayotte in the Indian Ocean before striking the northern Mozambique coast, separate research institutes in the United Kingdom and the United States said.

If not for warmer oceans driven by climate change, Chido would have been just a Category 3 cyclone. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte is reeling from Cyclone Chido, the most intense storm to hit the French territory in 90 years, according to officials.

Chido struck a part of northern Mozambique that is regularly battered by cyclones, leaving 45 people dead. And 13 people were killed in Malawi. At least 22 people have been killed in the densely populated island of Mayotte. It is one of the volcanic Comoro islands and is France’s poorest overseas territory.