Freddy delivers a deluge at second landfall in Mozambique
Tropical Cyclone Freddy has made its second landfall in Mozambique, hitting the Zambezi region with extreme rainfall and winds as agencies in neighboring Malawi keep a close eye on the forecast track.
The storm’s winds measured at least 150 kilometers per hour as it approached the mainland. Météo France, reporting from Reunion Island, said the storm still had tropical storm force winds on Sunday afternoon as it traveled slowly to the west-southwest at 9 km/h.
Coastal Quelimane was expected to receive up to 380 millimeters of rain, according to World Food Program projections, but the storm’s stall meant more rain was possible, increasing the threat of floods. Authorities in Mozambique say Sofala, Nampula and Tete provinces also were forecast to see heavy rains, with some impacts likely in neighboring Malawi.
Madagascar’s National Bureau of Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) said 17 people had died due to storm impacts as Freddy looped across the Mozambique Channel to strike the island nation twice, crossing back over the open waters of the channel as it headed northwest. Authorities in Mozambique say 10 people died during the first bout with Freddy.
Freddy has now become the longest-lived tropical storm ever recorded. It first developed off the North Australian coast and became a named storm on February 6.
An active cyclone season has been expected in Mozambique due to warmer than average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the channel, where SSTs are currently a very warm 29°C. Five to seven tropical storms and cyclones are expected between December 2022 and April 2023, according to the World Food Program, with up to four expected to be major cyclones of Category 3 or higher (a status that Freddy was expected to achieve twice).
Image: INAM/Météo France
Laureen Fagan
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Laureen is a freelance journalist creating high-quality, informed content on international affairs, politics and technology. She has worked both in and out of newsrooms since 2000. She is a former paramedic with significant experience in community resilience and nonprofit community development initiatives, and maintains "a passion for action" on sustainability and climate change. She also is trained in conflict resolution and diversity, and has special interests in science and medical reporting, and culture and religion issues. Laureen received her MSJ from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in the United States, and completed additional graduate study in theology at University of Notre Dame. Follow Laureen on Mastodon at @laureen@m.ai6yr.org
