Weather Alert: Cyclone Chido expected to hit Mozambique’s northern region Friday with 220 km/h wind

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Weather Alert: Cyclone Chido expected to hit Mozambique’s northern region Friday with 220 km/h wind

5:45 CAT | 12 Dec 2024

Image: Meteo France

Cyclone Chido may affect more than More than 2.5 million people in Nampula and Cabo Delgado provinces

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.

“We believe that we can initially start working with an estimate of around 2.5 million people in the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula, who may be affected and will need to be rescued,” said the national director of the National Emergency Operations Center (CENOE), Ana Cristina, during an extraordinary session of the organization in response to the cyclone’s warning.

The Mozambican National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) today raised its alert as tropical cyclone Chido approaches the north of the country, forecasting winds of up to 220 kilometers per hour (km/h) from Friday onwards.

In a red warning issued this afternoon, INAM reiterates that the tropical cyclone has evolved in recent hours to the “intense” stage, approaching the Mozambique Channel, where it is expected to enter at the end of Friday, with the epicentre expected to be off the Mozambican coast within 72 hours.

Intense TC #Chido is now the equivalent of a strong Cat 4 hurricane & will pass near the northern tip of #Madagascar before striking northern #Mozambique as a TC or intense TC on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/696kEuBtkm

— Jason Nicholls 💙 (@jnmet) December 12, 2024

More than 2.5 million people may be affected

According to Mozambican authorities, the cyclone could affect a total of 2,503,996 people, 306,927 of whom are in Cabo Delgado province and another 2,197,069 in Nampula province, with the districts of Memba, Mecuburi and Lalaua being most at risk in the latter province.

The authorities also pointed to the provinces of Zambézia and Tete, in central Mozambique, and Niassa, in the north, as some that could also be affected by the bad weather.

“Memba will automatically be isolated from the rest if [the cyclone] enters [there]. It is one of those districts that we believe will be extremely affected and may remain isolated for some time,” warned the head of the Department of Water Basin Management at the National Directorate of Water Resources Management (DNGRH), Agostinho Vilanculos.

Low water levels in Cahora Bassa may bring ‘energy crisis’

At the extraordinary session of the CENOE, Agostinho Vilanculos also warned of low water storage levels in some river basins, particularly the Corumana and Cahora Bassa dams, due to the lack of rain in some regions of the country, a situation considered atypical at this time of year.

“In addition to the situation we are experiencing, we have to pay attention to this situation of lack of rain, especially in the central and southern regions, which contradicts somewhat what our initial forecasts were,” said the official, warning of a probable “energy crisis” due to the lack of water in the Cahora Bassa dam.

The Mozambican authorities announced that the orange alert has already been activated due to Clyclone Chido, enabling the development of actions to reduce the impact of the system, including the activation of district and provincial emergency operations centers, awareness raising about population displacement and positioning resources and teams on the ground.

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 in Mozambique’s history: 714 people died, including 648 victims of cyclones Idai and Kenneth, two of the largest 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, destroyed 236,000 homes and 3,200 classrooms, according to official government data.

Intense Tropical Cyclone #Chido in the south Indian Ocean via https://t.co/Vg9NSYNxl2

Trajectory by CMRS La Réunion pic.twitter.com/2Pit4rtDPC

— Vaibhav Vernekar (@TwisterBilly96) December 12, 2024

Tropical Cyclone #CHIDO has intensified to Category 3 and may impact northern #Mozambique after crossing #Madagascar. @Red_Cross_Moz is closely monitoring the situation and preparing to support vulnerable communities. #Preparedness pic.twitter.com/nw9McMmCk9

— Naemi Heita (@NaemiHeita) December 11, 2024

Source: Lusa