Record-breaking Cyclone Freddy charges towards Mozambique again

By Phephile Motau

Cyclone Freddy is set to land again in Mozambique, after hitting Madagascar for the second time and breaking several records.

However, the Eswatini Meteorological Services says it does not pose any threat to Eswatini.

According to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)Tropical Cyclone Freddy Flash Update No. 5, after staying for several days in Mozambique, it re-emerged in the Mozambique Channel on March 2, 2023, and then approached the south-western coast of Madagascar.

The weather system came within 20-30 kilometres of the city of Toliara in the Atsimo-Andrefana region on March 5. It then started to move away from land on March 6 and is expected to move in a north-westerly direction, according to Meteo France.

Read More: Eswatini to narrowly miss Cyclone Freddy

Freddy is forecasted to re-intensify in the Mozambique Channel into a tropical cyclone (potentially an intense tropical cyclone), and could make another landfall in Mozambique, likely in Zambezia or Nampula provinces by Friday.

According to the Washington Post Freddy’s re-emergence has surprised meteorologists with its constant shift of direction and multiple record-breaking feats. It was reported that Freddy has intensified four separate times, a first for a tropical cyclone in the southern hemisphere.

It also now holds the world record for what’s known as “accumulated cyclone energy,” a metric to gauge a cyclone’s strength over time.

As of Tuesday, Cyclone Freddy is only one day away from tying the record for the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on Earth, which currently stands at 31 days set by Hurricane/Typhoon John in the Pacific Ocean in
1994.

Read More: Govt commits E8 million towards readiness Plan for Cyclone Freddy

Four people have died in Madagascar due to the latest rains, bringing Freddy’s death toll to at least 21 people (10 in Mozambique and 11 in Madagascar).

OCHA said in Madagascar, the latest rains brought by Freddy have left 3 100 people were displaced and more than 3 300 houses flooded.

Meteorologist Phephisa Sihlongonyane said although Freddy lost its strength when it made landfall in Mozambique the first time, it went back to the pecan where it regained strength and became a cyclone again.

He said Eswatini was not under threat as the cyclone would make landfall further north of Mozambique.