A tropical cyclone has formed over the southwestern Indian Ocean, approximately 1,332 kilometres off the coast of Madagascar.
Tropical Cyclone Chido has recorded maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h (55 knots) and gusts reaching up to 130 km/h.
According to the SADC Climate Services Centre, the potential for Chido to develop into a Category 3 cyclone within the next 24 hours is high.
The cyclone is expected to make landfall in northern Madagascar, bringing with it heavy rainfall, strong winds, and rough sea conditions.
Following its initial impact on Madagascar, Chido is predicted to re-intensify and affect the Comoros and Mozambique. Said the SADC Climate Services Centre:
Our forecasts indicate severe weather conditions in these areas, and we are urging residents to prepare accordingly.
In an interview with The Herald, Meteorological Services Department head of forecasting James Ngoma said in Zimbabwe, Tropical Storm Chido’s distance and trajectory (or current path) is too far and too distant to be of concern.
Ngoma said the country is expecting to get rains at the weekend. He said:
Noting well that these systems tend to change, especially when they come across land, for instance when they reach Madagascar, for much of this week, it should be mostly sunny and hot.
The storms we are anticipating are the ones from the opposite side in Botswana, which should enter through Matabeleland provinces as we get into the weekend. So in essence, it’s a wet weekend but due to storms from Botswana, and not Chido.
Tropical Cyclone Chido is the third low-pressure system that has threatened Southern Africa this year.
The first storm of the 2024-2025 cyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean, named Ancha, was designated by the Comoros.
Following this, Cyclone Bheki was named by Eswatini. The name Chido was provided by Zimbabwe.
If another storm forms before the season ends, it will be named Dikeledi, designated by South Africa.
Each year, tropical cyclones are named in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names.
The list of names is proposed by the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) members in a specific region and is approved by the corresponding tropical cyclone regional bodies during their annual or biannual sessions.
Zimbabwe has also provided the name Yemurai for the 25th storm of the season.
More: Pindula News