Harare (New Ziana) -Tropical storm Cyclone Freddy which made landfall in the eastern parts of the country on Saturday, did not cause any damage, but brought some heavy rains in some parts of the area as well as moderate showers in others, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has said.
In an interview with New Ziana, James Ngoma the MSD head of forecasting said the tropical storm, which is returning within a space of two weeks, was expected to end on Tuesday and was not likely going to cause any harm to people, livestock and infrastructure.
“Cyclone Freddy came back to Southern Africa, but not Zimbabwe specifically. It got into Mozambique on Saturday and headed to the southern parts of Malawi, with its armbands affecting the eastern parts of Zimbabwe, but not the centre of the cyclone itself,” he said.
Ngoma said this resulted in localised downpours in areas like Nyanga, which recorded 102 millimetres, Mukandi 99 millimetres and Zisengwe 83 millimetres, with some strong winds being experienced in most parts of the country.
He said no damages were recorded in the country from the tropical storm as their focus was also going for minor damages, adding that they were however, still monitoring the situation on the ground.
When Cyclone Freddy hit the country in February, it was expected to affect Manicaland more than other provinces, although four other regions namely Masvingo, Harare Metropolitan, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central were also forecast to be affected.
But in Chipinge district, an area most vulnerable to cyclones in Manicaland province, experienced only light, intermittent showers and not the strong winds and heavy rains earlier predicted by the MSD.
This is not the first time Zimbabwe has been affected by cyclones, with Cyclone Idai which hit the country a few years ago being the worst so far.
Much of the loss was in Manicaland province due to its close proximity to Mozambique, always the source of the cyclones.
Idai also hit Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, killing thousands and destroying infrastructure such as bridges, roads, homes, schools and hospitals, in all the affected countries.
New Ziana
