7 March 2008
Maputo — The Mozambican Meteorology Institute (INAM) has warned that the coastal districts of the northern province of Nampula can expect heavy rains and high winds, as from Friday evening, with the approach of cyclone Jokwe.
As of Friday morning, the cyclone was located off the east coast of Madagascar, moving into the Mozambique Channel at a speed of 18 kilometres an hour.
On its original course, the cyclone would have hit the African mainland near the port of Nacala. However, the latest projection from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the US Navy and Air Force show that Jokwe has changed course, and is likely to move south-west, down the Mozambique Channel.
This course will not bring the centre of the storm into contact with the Mozambican mainland (at least, not for the next 48 hours), although it will pose a serious threat to shipping in the Mozambique Channel. The influences of the cyclone will be felt all down the coasts of Nampula and Zambezia to the mouth of the Zambezi river.
Current reported windspeeds are 75 knots (almost 140 kilometres an hour), with gusts of up to 90 knots, and the storm is expected to intensify. The maximum wave height reported is 24 feet (over seven metres).
Pf/ (217)
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