Tropical cyclone Filipo is set to bring significant weather disruptions as it progresses through the Mozambique Channel, reaching our neighbouring country and impacting parts of South Africa by Wednesday, 13 March 2024.
Tropical cyclone ‘Filipo’ makes landfall in Mozambique
Starting as a low-pressure system between Madagascar and mainland southern Africa, Tropical Storm Filipo has rapidly intensified, reaching “Moderate Tropical Storm” status with average winds between 63 to 89 km/h.
Positioned just off the southern Mozambican coast early Tuesday, Filipo is moving westwards, expected to make landfall near Inhassoro, north of Vilankulos, later in the day.
This severe tropical storm is likely to bring not only strong, damaging winds, with gusts surpassing 100 km/h but also a significant storm surge and heavy rain, with predictions of up to 600 mm accumulation over several days, particularly affecting the southern Mozambique coastline.
The cyclone will impact these parts of South Africa on Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Although the bulk of heavy rain is expected to remain in southern Mozambique, South Africa’s lowveld regions in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, including areas like the Kruger National Park and the coast northwards of Richards Bay, are at a moderate to high risk of experiencing heavy rainfall and localised flooding by Wednesday.
Enhanced by the storm’s movement, the eastern Escarpment of Mpumalanga could see orographically-induced heavy rains, posing a risk of floods in major rivers across the Kruger National Park and affecting neighbouring areas like Eswatini and the extreme north-eastern parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
The intense rainfall is expected to subside by Thursday as Filipo moves away from the region into the Indian Ocean.
What is a cyclone?
A cyclone is a large-scale weather system characterised by low atmospheric pressure at its centre, around which air circulates counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere (opposite in the Northern Hemisphere).
Cyclones can cover hundreds of miles and are associated with sustained winds, heavy rain, and storm surges. They are classified into various categories based on their maximum sustained wind speed, such as tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes (intense tropical cyclones).
Cyclones are typically formed over warm ocean waters and can move across vast distances, affecting coastal areas and sometimes inland regions.
Interestingly, cyclones have a greater prevalence than tornadoes in South Africa, particularly along the eastern coastline. The country is occasionally affected by tropical cyclones originating from the Indian Ocean.
These cyclones, often referred to as tropical storms or tropical cyclones, can bring heavy rainfall, strong winds, and storm surges to coastal areas of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and sometimes parts of the Eastern Cape.
While the impact of cyclones in South Africa is generally less severe compared to countries in tropical cyclone-prone regions, their effects can still be significant, leading to localised flooding, infrastructure damage, and disruptions to daily life.