The Mozambican national meteorological institute (INAM) on Thursday raised its alert for the approach of tropical cyclone Chido to the north of the country, forecasting winds of up to 220 kilometres per hour (km/h) from Friday.
In a red warning issued this afternoon, INAM reinforces that the tropical cyclone has evolved in recent hours to the ‘intense’ stage, approaching the Mozambique channel, where it should enter at the end of 13 December, with the epicentre expected to be on the Mozambican coast within 72 hours.
The landfall of the category 3 cyclone, the third highest on a scale of 1 to 5, is expected in the districts of Memba, Nampula province, Chiúre or Mecúfi, in Cabo Delgado province, “with winds of 200 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 220 kilometres per hour, according to current projections”, says the INAM warning.
“In view of the occurrence of strong winds, thunderstorms and very heavy rain, it is recommended that precautionary and safety measures be taken,” warns INAM.
The warning, valid until midnight on 15 December, specifies as risk areas several districts of Cabo Delgado and the provincial capital, Pemba, as well as Nampula and its provincial capital.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs from October to April.
The 2018/2019 rainy season was one of the most severe on record in Mozambique: 714 people died, including 648 victims of cyclones Idai and Kenneth, two of the biggest ever to hit the country.
In the first half of 2023, heavy rains and the passage of Cyclone Freddy caused 306 deaths, affected more than 1.3 million people in the country, destroyed 236,000 homes and 3,200 classrooms, according to official government figures.
Lusa