Tropical Cyclone Dineo hit the Inhambane province of Mozambique on Wednesday 15 February, with high winds, torrential rain and dangerous storm surge.
Dineo, the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, made landfall near the town of Inhambane at around 1630 GMT. It is the, first cyclone to hit the province of Inhambane since Favio caused destruction in February 2007. In 2008, intense tropical cyclone Jokwe made landfall higher up the coast of Mozambique.
WMO’s Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) in La Reunion (Meteo-France) warned of wind gusts of up to 180 km/h in affected coastal areas.
Rainfall may exceed 150mm in 24 hours, both in coastal areas, but also well inland. Storm surge will be 2-3 meters n the Bay of Inhambane, which is a popular tourist destination. But it will coincide with high tide to produce very hazardous waves and storm surge, according to RSMC La Reunion.
After landfall, Dineo weakened but still had the potential to bring heavy rainfall to parts of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
