Dineo: Don’t be fooled by old WhatsApp messages
Residents of KZN and Joburg are being needlessly distressed by outdated messages doing the rounds.
Tropical depression Dineo. Picture: Supplied
News about the whereabouts of the tropical depression ex-Dineo is circulating on WhatsApp, suggesting that “Dineo will hit South Africa tonight”, reports the North Coast Courier.
Dineo was downgraded from cyclone status after making landfall in Mozambique on Wednesday.
According to the SA Weather Service, the storm, which battered most of the Mozambique coastline, leaving seven people dead and displacing 130 000 people, is now moving over Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
ALSO READ: Dineo brings welcome rain to Tzaneen, wind blows down trees
The Kruger National Park has evacuated four remote camps and closed gravel roads as a precautionary measure to prepare for the storm.
But many in KwaZulu-Natal remained concerned about the path of the tropical storm due to the outdated messages doing the rounds.
One message, which was originally sent out via WhatsApp earlier this week and is still being circulated, reads, “STORM WARNING! Be advised that the department of meteorology in South Africa has issued a statement confirming the storm (Dineo) will be hitting South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique as of tonight. The estimated speed is between 30-90km/h. This wind can damages house, cars and any other property including nature…”
KZN residents, who are out of Dineo’s path, have been urged to ignore these messages and only refer to updated news reports from reliable sources.
Further, the Randburg Sun reported that the weather service was fielding calls about storm Dineo hitting Johannesburg on Friday night.
The service stressed it was a fake weather alert and confirmed that there was only a 30% possibility of showers.
The wind that Johannesburg was experiencing on Friday would die down, with mild temperatures of between 25 to 26 degrees.
Sunday had a 60% chance of rain.
Rumor going the rounds about severe weather heading to Gauteng is NOT true. NO severe weather expected in Gauteng.
— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) February 17, 2017
– Caxton News Service
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