1950-51 Raffalk Cyclone Season

The 1950-51 Raffalk Cyclone Season was the first documented season on the Raffalk Sea where a naming scheme was used. It was a relatively inactive season (14/8/3 is the average). The season featured 9 Tropical Storms, as well as 4 cyclones and one major cyclone. The strongest storm, Cantabria, peaked as a Category 3 Cyclone over the open Raffalk Sea, with winds of 105 miles per hour. The storm inflicted no damages, although it caused high surf in the Xizike coast. The most destructive storm, Forajine, left a trail of destruction in the country of Bairai as it skimmed it's coast. No people died on land, however, the SS Yukaye sank due to being caught off guard by the storm. 43 people died, and the ship's cost was about $1.2 million.

## Background

The Uron Continent was first discovered in 1701 when sailors from the Jukotska Nation sailed down through the Pasagerie. The Pasagerie is a long ocean, dividing the landmasses of Uron and Noron. No one had dared cross the Pasagerie, as tales of a never-ending sea filled with monsters and supernatural occurences spread. The first sailor brave enough was Uili Jorei, of the Prensin Kingdom. He attempted to cross the Pasagerie in his flimsy canoe in 1641, but failed miserably. He was killed by what is presumably the first documented tropical cyclone in the Raffalk Sea. Tropical cyclones do exist in the Noron, but they aren't very widely documented, and are treated as windstorms (until Yarkory of 1731). The first truely succesful expedition was done by Kiraiini Yetz of the Jukotska. He landed on what is now Terceira and founded the Madarig Colony. After that, he would report his findings back to the ruler of Jukotska. Flocks of ambitious explorers would migrate to the newly discovered continent, and it was named Uron. There would be many more tropical cyclones, but the first truely catastrophic one was the Vaveli Storm of 1792. The Yarkory had raised awareness of the potential of these "windstorms", but this further escalated the need for security against these storms. The Vaveli storm made an estimated landfall with winds of 145 miles per hour (equivalent to a Category 5 Extreme Cyclone today) on one of the biggest trading hubs of the Raffalk Sea, Arktovisha. The city was decimated, and it is estimated that anywhere between 10,000 and 150,000 people died. This was also one of the many reasons for the Xizike Separatist movement. Arktovisha was abandonded, however was rebuilt in 1859. No real naming scheme was developed for these storms, and they would get names based on the areas it struck (for example: The Tria Gale, The Rerai Storm, The Clotte-Diriamia Cyclone). In 1928, the Reunion for Awareness of Tropical Cyclones was held in Bebiki, Xizike. Many leaders from multiple countries surrounding the Raffalk and Yttrium Seas would conglomerate to discuss new possibilities of tracking tropical cyclones. The Raffalk Sea Cyclone Advisory Center (ROCAC), as well as the Yttrium Sea Cyclone Advisory Center (YOCAC) were introduced. They would document seasons, do advisories on tropical cyclones that were spotted via ship, and spread them via newspaper. They would also give names based on the ship that reported the storm or the area impacted by it. The strongest storm documented in this period between 1929 and 1950 was the Ukariota Cyclone of 1939. It remains one of the most powerful cyclones on record in the Raffalk Sea. A vessel near the eyewall reported winds of 180 miles per hour, which is equivalent to a Category 7 Extreme Cyclone today, and a pressure of 914 milibars. There is high debate over this storms true intensity, as the readings did not happen in the center of the storm. Some parties even claim that winds may have been as high as 195 miles per hour and a pressure of ~880 milibars, which would be by far the strongest cyclone on record. This claim has not been confirmed by the ROCAC. In 1950, the ROCAC and YOCAC would meet up, and discuss a new way of naming tropical cyclones. They would make 4 lists, each containing every single letter of the English alphabet, however using Okake names. A fully Okake naming list was used until 2000-01, where there was a mixture of English names and Okake names. They also discussed the retirement of tropical cyclone names. If the storm was exceedingly strong, exceedingly deadly, exceedingly costly, or had a notable record with it, it would be retired.

## Systems

### Cyclone Forajine (Byryai)

On February 16th, 1951, a vigorous tropical wave was spotted by a vessel on the central Raffalk Sea. It was tracked by the ROCAC up until it's formation. On February 18th, the tropical wave was reported to have tropical storm winds and a closed center, and was named *Forajine* by the ROCAC. Forajine initially did not show much signs of strengthening. Primitive radar showed that convection was relatively far away from the center, indicating that it was most likely a sheared tropical cyclone. A Disturbance Advisory was issued for the Toma Coast, and on February 19th, it would make landfall on said coast with winds of approximately 50 miles per hour. It would undergo slight weakening, before turning away from land and into the Puskomai Passage. Due to the storm's relatively small size, it strengthened in the very narrow passage, rapidly intensifying in a period of 12 hours from 50 miles per hour into a Category 2 Cyclone, with an estimated pressure of 985 milibars and winds of 90 miles per hour. Due to colder temperatures upon entering the Kaskade Inlet, it would rapidly weaken back into a Tropical Disturbance. It would make its final landfall on the Cornera Coast as a weak tropical low, and was finally absorbed by a trough.

In its first landfall in Toma, it produced heavy rainfall, totaling to about 5.7 inches. On the sparsely populated Satama Islands, it produced the heavy rainfall that Toma felt, but also stronger winds (although they were only about 45 miles per hour). Flash floods in Barkia, the capital of Toma, caused damage. Overall, about $30,000 was lost. On Bairai, the country surrounding the Puskomai Passage, rain bands caused strong winds and numerous landslides along the coastal areas. An anemometer in Riau reported winds of 57 miles per hour. The Uria Peninsula suffered more intense damage, as the storm came closest as a Category 2. A large landslide buried the town of Anola. Luckily, the town had been evacuated (it had suffered previously catastrophic landslides from other systems). A ship, the SS Yukaye, was traversing the Puskomai Passage at the same time Forajine was passing through. The ship was caught in the storm, unaware that it'd travel this south, and sank. All 43 people on board died, and the boat was worth $1.2 million. No people died on Cornera, and no damage was reported. Overall, damage amounted to $1.26 million, and 43 indirect deaths. Due to the sinking of the SS Yukaye shocking Bairai and other areas, the name *Forajine* was retired, the first such occurence. It was replaced with *Fanapi*.