Northern Mozambique faced yet another powerful storm on Monday as Cyclone Jude struck the region, marking the third cyclone to hit the area in just four months.
According to the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM), the cyclone made landfall in the morning, bringing winds of 140 kilometres per hour (87 miles per hour) and gusts reaching 195 kilometres per hour (121 miles per hour). As the storm progressed, it weakened into a severe tropical storm, accompanied by thunderstorms.
By Monday afternoon, there were no reported casualties.
The southwestern Indian Ocean’s cyclone season typically runs from November to April, with around a dozen storms occurring annually.
Mozambique has already endured two devastating cyclones in recent months. In December, Cyclone Chido claimed at least 120 lives and destroyed nearly 120,000 homes. Just weeks later, in mid-January, Cyclone Dikeledi left at least five people dead and damaged approximately 3,500 homes.
“Over the next few days, Jude should weaken as it moves inland and should circulate close to the border between Mozambique and Malawi,” according to the regional cyclone centre in the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion.
The cyclone could intensify while heading southwest towards Madagascar, it warned.
