WATCH: SA warned that Tropical Cyclone Freddy may hit parts of the country

Tropical Cyclone “Freddy” which has been sweeping across Madagascar is expected to hit parts of South Africa on Saturday.

The news comes as South Africa is still recovering from floods that have affected large parts of the country.

Watch: Eye of tropical cyclone Freddy

National state of disaster

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster to enable an intensive, coordinated response to floods affecting Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Northern Cape and North West provinces.

And there could be more rain on the way for eastern parts of the country, with Cyclone Freddy set to pass over Madagascar and lash Mozambique and Zimbabwe this week.

Freddie’s landfall

The South African Weather Service (Saws) said Freddy made landfall along the eastern coastline of Madagascar, just north of Mananjary, around 7:30pm on Tuesday evening.

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Journey

Saws said Cyclone Freddy was a low-end category 2 tropical cyclone just before making landfall, with winds of 150km/h and gusts up to 180km/h.

“Freddy weakened significantly due to the rugged terrain it encountered and was downgraded to an overland depression during the evening.

“The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre, (RSMC) located at La Reunion, forecasts that Freddy will continue in a west-south-westerly direction over the next few days, regaining its strength this evening as it moves into the Mozambique Channel,” it said.

South Africans warned

The weather service said Freddy may yet again reach near tropical cyclone status by Thursday evening while heading to southern Mozambique, making landfall just north of the town Vilanculos on Friday morning.

“It is expected that Freddy will affect the north-eastern parts of South Africa from early Saturday until Monday (25 to 27 February 2023) especially the Lowveld and escarpment areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, as the weather system will be semi-stationary along the north-eastern border for a few days.”

Impact

Saws added the impact of the tropical cyclone may be severe.

“Very heavy rainfall in the order of 200 to 400 mm is possible, and this may result in widespread significant flooding. The districts in question are Vhembe and Mopani in Limpopo, and to a slightly lesser extent, Ehlanzeni in Mpumalanga.”

🌧️ The influence of severe tropical storm Freddy in South Africa 🌧️ pic.twitter.com/Z1AeWxW3L1

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) February 22, 2023

“This, after significant flooding occurred over the Lowveld and escarpment areas (such as the Kruger National Park) the last few weeks, may be catastrophic and cause prolonged and severe impacts,” Saws said.

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