After much damage and displacement, Cyclone Idai has finally made a landfall at late night and early morning of Friday in Mozambique near the port of Beira, wherein the latitude and longitude were 19.6°S and 34.8°E. At the time of landfall, it had a wind speed of almost 170 kmph and gust exceeding 200 kmph. Heavy rains have already killed about 100 people in Mozambique and Malawi.
Idai slammed onshore with destructive winds and flooding rain in the vicinity of Beira. The authorities have to say that this life-threatening storm surge flooding might put coastal communities underwater where Idai made landfall.
The hurricane is moving west northwest in Mozambique only and is on a weakening mode. As per the experts, in another 12 hours, it will come to CAT I. As per the local time by late night of Friday or early morning of Saturday it would enter eastern Zimbabwe.
It is the strongest storm ever experienced in Mozambique, which almost hanged for a week carrying a hurricane strength in the Mozambique Channel. Mozambique has been rarely struck by strong hurricane in the past, including Eline in 2000, when 350 people died and 650,000 were displaced across the wider region. But this Cyclone Idai is much more powerful.
The eye of the cyclone has now become little hazy and the wall cloud is also showing signs of weakening. After making a landfall, the dry air comes into the system, which leads to further weakening.
Damaging winds may still spread across more of inland central Mozambique into the day on Saturday. Locally damaging winds will also be possible in for Zimbabwe. The experts have to say that on entering Zimbabwe this Cyclone Idai can either be a storm or can even weaken into a Deep Depression which still would give heavy rains, wherein the windspeed will be exceeding 80-100 kmph.
Zimbabwe and Malawi are the pockets which need to be watched out for almost 48 hours.
Image Credit: METOC
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