Cyclone Dineo

Tropical Cyclone Dineo was one of the deadliest tropical cyclones on record in the South-West Indian Ocean and Southern Hemisphere as a whole.[1] It was the first tropical cyclone to hit Mozambique since Cyclone Jokwe in 2008.

Tropical Cyclone Dineo
Tropical cyclone (SWIO scale)
Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
Dineo at peak intensity hours before landfall
Formed13 February 2017
Dissipated17 February 2017
Highest winds10-minute sustained: 140 km/h (85 mph)
1-minute sustained: 155 km/h (100 mph)
Lowest pressure955 hPa (mbar); 28.2 inHg
Fatalities280
Damage$217 million (2017 USD)
Areas affectedMozambique
Part of the 2016–17 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season

Meteorological history

Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale

The origins of Dineo can be tracked back to a cluster of thunderstorms that organized into an area of low pressure in the Mozambique Channelon February 11. Over the next two days, the system gradually drifted in a generally southern track as it gained intensity and prompted the JTWC to issue a TCFA.[2]On February 13, RSMC La Réunion had declared that a Tropical Disturbance has formed in the area and began issuing advisories.[3] Located in a very favorable environment, the depression quickly gained intensity and both the RSMC and JTWC had noted winds of at least 65 km/h (40 mph) later that day, with the RSMC subsequently naming the storm Dineo.[4][5]

Impact

Dineo struck Mozambique on February 15 as a tropical cyclone, bringing torrential rain and damaging winds.[6] Dineo was the first tropical cyclone to hit Mozambique since Cyclone Jokwe in 2008.[7] Satellite-derived estimates indicated up to 200 mm (7.9 in) of rain fell in Inhambane.[6] At least seven people were killed across the country,[8] including a child crushed by a fallen tree in Massinga.[9] An estimated 20,000 homes were destroyed and approximately 130,000 people were directly affected.[8] Widespread flooding took place in Zimbabwe, with Mutare, Chiredzi, and Beitbridge particularly hard-hit.[10] At least 271 people were killed by the storm and damage exceeded US$200 million.[11][12][13] The storm's remnants triggered destructive floods in Botswana.[14] In the month following the storm, a cholera outbreak in Mozambique and Malawi infected more than 1,200 people and claimed 2 lives.[15][16]

See also

  • Cyclone Jokwe – Last cyclone to hit Mozambique prior to Dineo
  • Cyclone Idai – A similar, but stronger and deadlier cyclone

References

  1. "Tropical Cyclone Idai's Death Toll in Mozambique May Exceed 1,000 by Dr. Jeff Masters | Category 6". Weather Underground. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  2. "Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) - Cyclone Dineo". Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  3. "Tropical Cyclone Warning 001 (RSMC) - Cyclone Dineo". RSMC La Réunion. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  4. "Tropical Cyclone Warning (RSMC) 003 - Cyclone Dineo". RSMC La Réunion. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  5. "Tropical Cyclone Warning (JTWC) 001 - Cyclone Dineo". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  6. Shenaaz Jamal (February 16, 2017). "Dineo lashed Mozambique with 200mm of rain". Times Live. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  7. "Tropical Cyclone Dineo hits Mozambique". ReliefWeb. World Meteorological Organization. February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  8. "Storm Dineo kills at least seven people in Mozambique - govt". Times Live. Reuters. February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  9. "Child 'killed by falling tree', as cyclone Dineo hits Mozambique". News 24. February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  10. "Cyclone Dineo Hits Zimbabwe". NewsdzeZimbabwe. February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  11. "Companion Volume to Weather, Climate & Catastrophe Insight" (PDF). Aon Benfield. 24 January 2018.
  12. http://reliefweb.int/report/zimbabwe/urgent-call-assistance-flood-victims
  13. http://reliefweb.int/report/zimbabwe/zimbabwe-flood-snapshot-09-march-2017
  14. http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/MDRBW003.pdf
  15. "Malawi Registers New Cases of Cholera". ReliefWeb. Voice of America. March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  16. "Aid agencies in Mozambique call for support for Cyclone Dineo response - Mozambique". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
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