Cyclone Hidaya lost its strength but brace for heavy winds, weatherman says

The Kenya Meteorological Department says Tropical Cyclone Hidaya lost its strength after hitting Mafia Island on Saturday.[File, Standard]

The Kenya Meteorological Department says Tropical Cyclone Hidaya lost its strength after hitting Mafia Island on Saturday.

Hidaya, which had been projected to make landfall in Tanzania and Kenya this weekend left a trail of destruction in Mafia Island, which is located about 130 kilometres south-east of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In a statement Sunday afternoon, KMD boss David Gikungu says the Kenyan Coast will not feel the impact of the cyclone as earlier anticipated.

Instead, he asked residents of the Kenyan coast to brace for moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied with heavy winds.

“Following its landfall at Mafia Island on Saturday 4 May 2024, Tropical Cyclone "HIDAYA" completely lost its strength. The remnants of the rain clouds that accompanied the cyclone have been observed to weaken and spread out in various areas of the southern region of Tanzania, as confirmed by the Tanzania Meteorological Authority,” Dr Gikungu says.

“However, the Coastal region (Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu counties) is likely to experience moderate to heavy rainfall offshore, which might propagate inland on Monday and Tuesday accompanied by strong winds (>40 knots) and large waves (>2m),” he adds.

However, the weatherman says the country will continue experiencing heavy rains.

Hours before Dr Gikungu’s communique, the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) had issued a similar report, saying the conclusion was reached after watching the weather pattern for 6 hours.

"The remnants of the rain clouds that accompanied the Tropical Cyclone have been observed to weaken and spreading out in various areas of the southern region of our country, particularly in Lindi, Mtwara, Morogoro and neighbouring areas," an excerpt of TMA statement reads.

A day before, KMD asserted that Kenya would feel the effects of the cyclone, although minimal. This was attributed to the proximity to the equator.

"Indeed, we will feel the effects from the fringes of the tropical cyclone, but it will weaken to become a depression. The eye of the cyclone will make landfall just about or below 5°S from the equator," the weatherman said.

Experts describe a tropical cyclone as an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans.

Low atmospheric pressure, high winds and heavy rains characterize it.