Moz storm may affect SA

THE Kruger National Park and the north-eastern parts of South Africa could experience heavy rain as well as flooding later this week in the aftermath of a tropical storm moving towards southern Mozambique.

The SA Weather Service has been monitoring the development of the tropical weather system in the Mozambique Channel.

The system has the potential to result in severe weather impacts over the north-eastern parts of the country.

Although the storm is not expected to affect KwaZulu-Natal, it is likely to have a severe effect in parts of southern Africa later in the week.

Weather conditions in the Mozambique Channel continue to be hot and humid, with light winds in the atmosphere, while sea-surface temperatures exceed 30°C over the eastern part of this region, adjoining the channel.

SA Weather Service forecaster Ezekiel Sebego said these were all favourable ingredients for the growth and intensification of tropical lows.

“Within the next 24 hours, the system is expected to intensify and become a moderate tropical storm (associated with winds of 63-88km/h).

“Assuming the current system deepens to at least the moderate tropical storm stage, the name to be assigned to the system will be Dineo,” he said.

The storm is expected to move through Massinga and Inhambane on the coastline of southern Mozambique between tomorrow and Friday. Sebego predicted the storm would move towards the north-eastern parts of South Africa on Thursday.

“Although not likely to be as severe as the scenario expected for southern Mozambique, while there is much uncertainty regarding the location and timing of the storm’s impact within South Africa, the most likely areas to be affected include the Ehlanzeni district in Mpumalanga as well as Mopani and Vhembe districts in Limpopo,” he said.

Sebego said that all landfalling tropical systems inevitably begin a rapid process of weakening and decay once they are over land and deprived of the energy provided by warm ocean water.

“The system itself will, in all probability, dissipate within 36 to 48 hours of moving inland,” he said.

According to the SA Weather Service, storms are assigned unique names according to an alphabetical list.