Mutare (New Ziana) – The impending tropical storm Freddy is expected to make landfall in southern Manicaland Province on Friday evening, spewing strong winds and heavy rains, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has predicted.
The storm, downgraded from a cyclone, is currently anchored in neighbouring Mozambique moving towards Zimbabwe and Malawi.
MSD head of forecasting, James Ngoma said the storm was expected to batter several regions of the country from Friday evening to Sunday morning.
It will be characterised by heavy rains and strong winds, raising fears of flooding and destruction of property in its path.
“The storm has made landfall in the Mozambican channel and is currently causing the dry conditions experienced in the eastern parts of the country. It is drying up much of the atmosphere and this (is) what such systems normally do as they gain moisture from the surrounding areas. These conditions are expected to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall into Eastern Zimbabwe by Friday evening,” Ngoma said.
He reiterated government warnings for the public in regions where the storm is expected to hit to be on high alert, heed precautions, and check latest weather updates.
Much of Friday, Manicaland Province and other parts of the country had clear blue skies, which Ngoma said was a sign of an impending storm.
“The systems gain energy from the moisture from the environment within their surroundings, causing clear skies.
They draw up all the moisture, resulting in violent storms associated with heavy rainfall from all the collected moisture. The blue skies should not fool the public,” he said.
The MSD said the clear skies were expected to give way to cloudy conditions late on Friday, followed by heavy rains and strong winds from the tropical storm.
It is expected to affect five provinces – Masvingo, Manicaland, Harare Metropolitan, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central – with Manicaland forecast to be hit hardest because of its close proximity to Mozambique.
Ahead of the storm, the government and regional authorities announced a raft of precautionary measures to ensure safety for people and property.
These include shutting down schools on Friday in the five provinces, setting up and equipping search and rescue teams, and establishing secure evacuation centres.
New Ziana
