Hurricane-strength Cyclone Kenneth set to strike Mozambique tonight

Just weeks after Tropical Cyclone Idai lashed Mozambique’s eastern seaboard and interior, Cyclone Kenneth is bearing down on the country’s northern region and southern Tanzania.

While Idai was a beast, Kenneth is shaping up to be lot stronger, fiercer and possibly as wet as Idai. Currently churning away in the Mozambique Channel, moving WSW at 15km/h, it’s set to make landfall tonight in northern Mozambique, near Pemba.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Tropical Cyclone Kenneth

According to the South African Weather Service, Kenneth is now a Category 4-equivalent storm with peak winds of 215km/h.

Latest on Tropical Cyclone Kenneth (Category 4):
– Sustained winds of 215km/h
– Moving WSW at 15 km/h
– Expected to make landfall in vicinity of Quiterajo in north-eastern Mozambique this evening.#CycloneKenneth #Kenneth #Cyclone #Mozambique pic.twitter.com/EV5R0aMm0K

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) April 25, 2019

Satellite loops are even scarier than stills.

#CycloneKenneth nears the coast of #Mozambique at the moment at a severe equivalent category 4 hurricane! 1 meter of rain expected with damaging winds and, a 5 meter storm surge! Catastrophic flooding expected! #SevereWeather #extremeweather #Flood pic.twitter.com/b55kSCY6UG

— WEATHER/ METEO WORLD (@StormchaserUKEU) April 25, 2019

While intense #cycloneKenneth will weaken after making landfall, it will continue to produce huge amounts of rain over the Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique.
Up to 500mm possible in a 4 day period for the province capital, Pemba & the second largest city; Montepuez. #eNCA pic.twitter.com/0SkJn9hkrL

— eNCAWeather (@eNCAWeather) April 25, 2019

Tropical Airmass RGB Composite Satellite Image of #CycloneKenneth with a well defined eye, this severe storm is expected to make landfall in Northern #Mozambique this evening. Our thought and prayers are with the people of Mozambique. #cyclone pic.twitter.com/qWQc1kFxxx

— 🌩️SA Weather 🇿🇦 SAWX (@sawx_sa_weather) April 25, 2019

According to AccuWeather, Kenneth is set to become the first Indian Ocean storm to strike northern Mozambique with the equivalent strength of a hurricane.

Feature image: Cyclone Kenneth on 24 April 2019, by NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS)