Cyclone Freddy is on track to hammer Madagascar with extreme winds and significant flooding early next week. The first Category 5 storm of 2023, Freddy is the second-strongest of only five February Category 5 storms ever recorded. It is expected to weaken somewhat over the weekend as dry air reduces its intensity, but could still hit Madagascar as a Category 4 storm next Tuesday with winds around 130 mph. Along with threats of dangerous coastal surge and wind damage, the storm brings heightened flooding threats because it closely follows Cyclone Cheneso in late January, which killed at least 33 people, left 34,000 homeless, and saturated soils across the island nation [and barely garnered any Western media coverage, including in Hot News — Ed.]. (Cyclone Freddy: Washington Post $, Yale Climate Connections)