Another tropical storm is headed Mozambique’s way and has the potential to turn into a cyclone if conditions in the Indian Ocean remain conducive, weather experts have warned.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) said a tropical system called Guambe has developed and is currently intensifying in the southern half of the Mozambique Channel.
SAWS forecasters said although the approaching Guambe weather system is currently classified as a moderate tropical storm, it is “nevertheless set to intensify in the coming days”.
“Whilst South Africa is unlikely to experience any negative impacts of Guambe, it is highly likely that a combination of torrential tropical rain and extensive flooding will affect an extensive part of the coast and adjacent interior of southern Mozambique, especially the region from Beira, through Vilankulos and southward to Inhambane,” SAWS said in a notice on Thursday.
Tropical Storm Guambe is expected to be associated with sustained surface winds of up to 89 kilometres per hour, the experts warned.
“Destructive onshore winds and associated marine storm surge can also be expected along the coastline,” SAWS warned.
Guambe is the seventh tropical system in the southwest part of the Indian Ocean during the current rainy season, which began in October 2020 and is expected to end in April 2021.
The most recent one was Tropical Cyclone Eloise that dumped heavy rains and resulted in widespread flooding in several southern African countries in late January.
JN/APA