CYCLONE status has officially been awarded to tropical storm Dineo and despite the fact that she is expected to stick mainly to the northern hemisphere of South Africa (with Mozambique probably set to face the worst she has to offer), here is everything you need to know about her.
The effects of Dineo could already be felt this afternoon when a video showing severe wind and ocean conditions appeared on the Storm Report SA Facebook page.
Dineo is officially expected to reach landfall in Southern Africa tomorrow (Thursday) morning.
However, Ventusky – an online weather monitoring website – indicates that Dineo’s suggested movement pattern will have her reach landfall by around 5pm today, just to the north of Inhambane, Mozambique.
Some parts of the South Coast can expect an increase in wind strength as well as some heavy rain and thunderstorms – this, however, may possibly not be linked directly to Dineo and rather to our own weather system, according to the website.
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It went on to say that sea conditions are also expected to worsen, with waves reaching a height of 2m.
Meanwhile, disaster management teams are on high alert and will be ready to respond should the cyclone change course.
As a result of the fact that these cyclones are notoriously difficult to predict, conditions could change and every precaution should be taken.
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To monitor Dineo and her pattern from your desktop, visit the Ventusky website.
Storm Report SA noted that heavy rain can be expected over the following areas:
KwaZulu-Natal:
• St. Lucia
• Jozini
• Vryheid
Mpumalanga:
• Kruger National Park
• Nelspruit
• Lydenburg
• Skukuza
• Barberton
• Komatipoort
Limpopo:
• Phalaborwa
• Musina
• Louis Trichardt
• Tzaneen
• Mokopane
• Polokwane
The Zululand Observer reported that this forecast is subject to change as ‘these systems are extremely difficult to predict’.
It has changed much over the past 48 hours and could change again.
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