South Africa's smoggy Sasolburg illustrates conflict between economy and clean air
Cyclone dumps heavy rains on Mauritius en route to Madagascar
7:30 CAT | 02 Feb 2022
Cyclone Batsirai moves close to Mauritius on Feb. 2.[Image: CIRA/RAMMB]
Mauritius closed its main airport, banks and beaches as it braced for the effects of a severe cyclone that’s brought heavy rains and strong winds to the Indian Ocean island nation.
Wind speeds reached 133 kilometres per hour and parts of the nation received 118.5 millimetres of rain as Tropical Cyclone Batsirai swirled north of the country, the Mauritius Meteorological Services said in a statement. The storm will pass about 130 kilometres north of Mauritius as it drifts westward toward the much bigger island of Madagascar, where it’s expected to make landfall as an intense tropical cyclone on February 5, according to forecasts from Meteo France.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport — the main gateway for tourists heading to attractions such as Mont Choisy beach and Le Pouce mountain — was shut on Tuesday night. The Port Louis-based Stock Exchange of Mauritius is not operating, while banks have closed their branches and shut down their ATMs, according to official statements.
The impact on Madagascar, still dealing with damage from Tropical Storm Ana that caused dozens of deaths last month, could be significant, with heavy rains over the southern half of the country, Meteo France said. Madagascar’s government warned that ocean swells could reach 10 meters upon landfall and has already cautioned against going out to sea.
The steep, rugged mountains along Madagascar’s eastern coastline will exacerbate the risk of increased rainfall as well as flash-floods and mudslides, South African Weather Service said in an emailed statement Tuesday.
The southern half of Madagascar has been facing its worst drought in 40 years.
East Africa’s coast was hit by one of the worst storms ever in 2019, when Cyclone Idai caused a humanitarian crisis in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Intense TC #Batsirai is passing N of #Mauritius & is now the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. Heavy rain & gusty winds likely in Mauritius & #Reunion into Thurs. Cyclone will strike #Madagascar Sat & can enter S Mozambique Channel Sunday. Storm can impact S #Mozambique Tues. pic.twitter.com/STxHZnjznh
— Jason Nicholls (@jnmet) February 2, 2022
Source: Bloomberg
Show comments
Also read
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.