Heavy Rain/Tropical Cyclone Threat for Mozambique

This satellite image shows clouds associated with an area of low pressure off the coast of Mozambique on Sunday. Image credit: NOAA.

An area of low pressure spinning over Indian Ocean waters off the coast of southern Africa threatens to bring torrential rain inland during upcoming days.

In fact, the low has the potential to become a tropical cyclone before reaching land.
Time for development is short, however, as the system is forecast to move into southern Mozambique on Monday.

Whether the disturbance becomes a tropical cyclone or not, it can bring rain heavy enough to trigger flooding in Mozambique's southern provinces, primarily Maputo, Inhambane and Gaza, beginning later Sunday night.

The risk of heavy rain will persist in the aforementioned areas through midweek while expanding into neighboring areas of Swaziland, northeastern South Africa and southeastern Zimbabwe. In areas of steep terrain, especially in northeastern South Africa, there can be mudslides.

Should the low grow into a tropical cyclone, there would be strong and locally damaging winds along the coast of southern Mozambique on Monday.

Story by Donn Washburn, AccuWeather.Com Senior Meteorologist

- ACCUWEATHER