Tropical storm Ana ‘not likely’ to affect South Africa
The storm is associated with winds of at least 85km/h and torrential downpours, the the South African Weather Service (SAWS) says.
Ana, a tropical system which is moving across the south-western Indian Ocean, is ‘not likely’ to affect South Africa.
In a statement issued on Monday (January 24) the South African Weather Service (SAWS) stated that the system, which was officially named Ana after it intensified into a moderate tropical storm, is expected to miss SA shores. SAWS explained that this past weekend the system moved east to west over central and northern Madagascar.
“During this time the system temporarily lost intensity due to surface friction, land mass as well as the release of latent heat energy from the ocean surface. On Sunday, however, the system intensified as it slid back into the warm, tropical waters of the Mozambique Channel. The system became more ‘organised’ in structure and overnight intensified and reached the status of a ‘moderate tropical storm’ in the early hours of Monday.”
They added that the system continued to track predominantly westwards and by sunrise this morning, was lying just off the northern Mozambican coastline, likely to make landfall along the coast between Angoche and Mogincual.
At 08:00 the system was located at 16.5S 040.8E and was associated with sustained winds of at least 85km/h.
“Ana can lead to significant wind damage and localised flooding due to torrential downpours,” the service warned.
According to SAWS, the latest information indicates that the system continues to move westwards towards Lake Kariba along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Residents can be rest assured that the system will ‘not likely’ directly affect SA shores in the coming days.
SAWS said they will continue to monitor the storm and will issue updates on any developments in this regard.
