A new low-pressure system named Gombe, which has recently formed in Madagascar and evolved into a moderate tropical storm, could reach Mozambique on Friday, March 11, Mozambique’s National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) announced.
According to the forecasts in the INAM statement, the system could reach the Mozambique Channel on Wednesday and approach the Mozambican coast on Friday.
On Tuesday, two deaths, one missing, 935 victims were confirmed by Madagascar’s National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC).
“Tropical storm Gombe could influence the weather in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Zambezia, with the occurrence of heavy rains, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds,” says the statement.
These are the provinces that are still reeling from the recent ravages of storms which passed through the country earlier this year.
INAM says it is monitoring this phenomenon and appeals to the population to continue to follow the meteorological information and the warnings disseminated by the competent national authorities.
In February, cyclone Emnati hit Madagascar with wind speeds of up to 170 km/h, the government’s meteorological department said, making it the fourth major storm to slam into the Indian Ocean island in February.
Madagascar’s National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said nearly 275 000 people were in the cyclone’s path.
Tens of thousands of people have already been made homeless in this year’s cyclone season.
Xinhua News Agency