Geneva, Switzerland (AFP) – Cyclone Freddy, which crossed the entire southern Indian Ocean before wreaking devastation on southeastern Africa last year, was the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded, at 36 days, the UN said Tuesday.

An extreme weather evaluation committee “recognised Tropical Cyclone Freddy’s duration of 36.0 days at tropical storm status or higher as the new world record for the longest tropical cyclone duration”, the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization said in a statement.

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