Tropical Storm Eloise is projected to bring a lot of rainfall to south-eastern Zimbabwe around 23 January 2021, according to an update by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
As of 20 January 2021, the storm had directly affected more than 1 000 people in Madagascar, with at least one died, and more than 50 houses destroyed.
Eloise has since crossed over northern Madagascar and is re-entering the Mozambique Channel, where it is expected to re-intensify significantly.
The tropical storm is expected to gain considerable strength, including due to warm water temperatures and light wind shear.
Several weather forecasts indicate that Eloise could become a tropical cyclone as it moves towards Mozambique.
The Mozambique National Meteorology Institute (INAM) predicts that Tropical Cyclone Eloise will make landfall on the evening of 23 January in Inhambane Province, with destructive wind speeds between 150km/h and 170 km/h. The report adds:
After landfall, Eloise is expected to lose strength as it crosses land but bring “extreme rainfall” to eastern South Africa, particularly Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, according to SWAS [South African Weather Services].
Depending on its trajectory and intensity, the weather system could also affect Eswatini and south-eastern Zimbabwe.
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