Tense wait for arrival of storm

TROPICAL storm Dineo is expected to escalate to an intense cyclone‚ with thrashing winds‚ within a day.

The SA Weather Service issued an update on the storm’s development yesterday.

Dineo has grown from a tropical disturbance on Monday to a moderate tropical storm. The latest update indicated that it might grow even stronger.

“The Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre La Reunion has updated the expected evolution of tropical storm Dineo, which is now expected to reach a tropical cyclone stage‚ [with] winds of up to 118km/h to 165km/h,” the SA Weather Service said.

“Further intensification is expected and the storm will reach the intense tropical cyclone [stage‚ with] winds of up to 166km/h to 212km/h around midday [today]‚ before making landfall at midnight near Inhambane, in southern Mozambique.”

South Africa will begin experiencing rain from tomorrow over the Lowveld‚ moving west by Friday.

Dineo was being closely monitored with further updates expected‚ the weather service said.

Dineo will hit Mozambique’s coastline before it reaches South Africa‚ where heavy rain‚ flooding and possibly wind damage may be expected.

Parts of Mpumalanga‚ Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal are likely to be caught in Dineo’s grip‚ with heavy rains and flooding later this week.