Harare – Zimbabweans are bracing for a stormy Christmas as Cyclone Chido, a powerful tropical storm currently traversing the Indian Ocean, is projected to bring heavy rains and potentially devastating winds to the country for three days. The Meteorological Services Department (MDS) has issued warnings, urging citizens to prepare for the worst.
The storm, currently packing winds exceeding 210 km/h, is expected to make landfall in Madagascar this weekend before moving towards Mozambique and potentially impacting Zimbabwe from December 17th. MDS deputy director, James Mangoma, addressed the nation at a press briefing in Harare, outlining the expected path and impact.
“Current trajectory is that it’s going to be affecting parts of Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, and maybe even parts of Zimbabwe. But our current watch is for a system that is entering in from Botswana, which should give us thunderstorms as we get into Sunday,” Mangoma explained. “So we are expecting violent storms from Botswana, giving us a bit of continuous rainfall over that area into the interior of the country.”
Mangoma further detailed the anticipated impact on Zimbabwe, stating, “We expect these storms to be violent across much of the country, as we’ve been experiencing a lot of sunshine. This heat that we are currently experiencing in the atmosphere should turn into the thunderstorms that we are projecting into the weekend, and into Monday and Tuesday before even tropical Cyclone Chido affects Zimbabwe. If at all, it affects Zimbabwe, as we get into Christmas, we’re also expecting the rainfall to increase, as the inter-tropical convergence zone will be over the country, as well as these cloud bands that are passing in from Botswana into the interior of the country. So with that, we’ll keep you updated as the weekend comes.”
The three Mashonaland provinces, along with Harare and Bulawayo Metropolitan provinces, are expected to bear the brunt of the storm. The potential for flooding and landslides is a significant concern, given the intensity of the predicted rainfall. The government has already activated national risk and disaster management systems in anticipation of Cyclone Chido’s arrival.
According to the MDS, there is an 80 percent chance of the cyclone reaching Zimbabwe, prompting a high alert across relevant authorities. Senior meteorologist, James Ngoma, elaborated: “The Tropical Cyclone Chido will first land in Madagascar then expected to arrive in Mozambique before it finally affects Zimbabwe on the 17th of December. We are still on a watch mode and monitoring its magnitude on the SADC Humanitarian Disaster Centre. The likelihood that we might have 60-70 milliliters of rain if Cyclone Chido hits Zimbabwe, the chances of flash floods will be high.”
The Civil Protection Unit (CPU) director, Nathan Nkomo, confirmed that emergency services are on high alert and actively preparing for various scenarios, drawing on lessons learned from previous disasters.
“This Cyclone Chido will it bring the much needed rains. It is unfortunate that cyclones cause disasters, and by virtue of that cabinet has approved our budget. We need to be prepared for this ‘Chido’. Evacuation points to those who are susceptible to this cyclone must be in place. We are activating all systems to be on high alert in all areas where the cyclone is likely to hit,” Nkomo stated.
Cabinet has already approved the Civil Protection Department’s Blueprint on Disaster Management.
Meanwhile, other countries in the region are also preparing for the cyclone’s impact. Comoros has ordered school closures and warned residents to prepare for Chido’s arrival, expected early Saturday. Mayotte, a French overseas territory, has issued a red alert – its highest warning level – and is deploying 110 emergency personnel and three tons of equipment, including search dogs. Mozambique has also issued a red alert for its northern provinces, anticipating winds of up to 124 miles per hour and the potential displacement of 2.5 million people.
Ana Cristina, director of Mozambique’s National Emergency Operations Center, stated, “We estimate that around 2.5 million people in the affected provinces will need assistance and possible evacuation.”
Madagascar, where the cyclone is expected to hit hardest in the northern Diana region, is using phone alerts and radio broadcasts to warn its citizens. The storm’s potential impact extends to landlocked Zimbabwe, where authorities are preparing for potential flooding and landslides. Crisis24, a risk management firm, has warned of the potential for widespread flooding and landslides, with stagnant water increasing the risk of disease outbreaks such as cholera, malaria, and dengue fever.
Cyclone Chido is the third low-pressure system to threaten Southern Africa this year, following Cyclone Ancha (named by Comoros) and Cyclone Bheki (named by Eswatini). Zimbabwe provided the name Chido. The Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) – Tropical cyclones is responsible for monitoring and prediction of tropical cyclones and naming them according to regional rules.
The passage of Cyclone Chido is projected to affect approximately 2.7 million people across six southern African countries: Comoros (368,508), Madagascar (135,838), Malawi (440,479), Mauritius (225), Mozambique (1,753,234), and Seychelles (16), according to the World Food Programme’s Automated Disaster Analysis and Mapping (Adam).
Chido follows in the wake of Cyclone Freddy, which devastated parts of southern Africa last year, killing over 1,000 people and causing widespread damage to crops and livestock. Experts link the increasing intensity and frequency of these storms to climate change.
