Tropical cyclone Eloise is expected to make landfall in the coastal town of Beira in Mozambique early this morning. It will then head to South Africa and hit parts of the Mopani and Vhembe districts of Limpopo.
The storm is expected to cause heavy rain and flooding in Mozambique and parts of Zimbabwe later today and in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga tomorrow.
Meteorologist at the South African Weather Services, Maluta Tshifaro says, “South African Weather Services is monitoring the tropical cyclone Eloise which is currently at the central parts of the Mozambique channel. It is moving in the southwest direction at a speed of 24km/h. Winds associated with the system are reaching 120km/h and it is expected to intensify, this tropical cyclone is expected to make landfall at the early hours near Beira which in the eastern coast of Mozambique.”
Meanwhile, Eskom says it has put in place measures to deal with the tropical storm. This follows reports that the storm could affect electricity supply in South Africa. The storm hit Madagascar earlier this week, killing one person.
It is expected to cross-transmission lines through which about one-thousand megawatts of electricity is imported from Cahorra Bassa in Mozambique to South Africa. Heavy rain and storms are also expected to hit a large area of Mpumalanga where many of Eskom’s power stations are located.
Lephalale, which is home to two power stations, could be affected. The power utility says it is working with the National Disaster Management Centre as well as Provincial Disaster Management Centres in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
