The deputy director of the National Meteorological Institute (INAM), Mussa Mustafa, has assured that cyclone “Olga” is not a danger, emphasising that there is no sign of a storm forming that could affect the country in the coming days.
“There is currently a cyclone in the Australian basin that borders the Indian Ocean basin, but this should not be a cause for concern for Mozambique,” explained the source quoted by Agência de Informação de Moçambique (AIM).
The official stressed that the situation has stabilised along the Indian Ocean and that the monitoring process is ongoing. “If there is anything that could contribute to the fall of rain accompanied by strong winds in our country, we will communicate it in advance.”
With regard to the rains being felt in the south of the country, Mustafa clarified that they are the result of cold masses from the south of the hemisphere that have moved from Cape Town in South Africa to reach Mozambique.
“Atmospheric humidity levels are still very high and we are entering winter. We are in a transitional phase and the systems are conditioning the weather, especially in Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane. They are repositioning themselves. As such, we’re starting to get cold fronts that end up bringing intense rainfall,” he added.
The current rainy season, which began in October 2023, has already caused the deaths of 135 people and affected another 116,334. Of the total deaths, 57 were caused by lightning, 31 by cholera, 24 by drowning, 20 by houses collapsing and three by animal attacks.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by global climate change, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs from October to April.
