Storms that have thundered through Limpopo
Tropical Storms are not a regular occurrence in our part of the woods but there have been several devastating storms in the province in the past.
POLOKWANE – With Tropical Cyclone Dineo reaching Limpopo by later today and tomorrow, most South Africans wouldn’t associate tropical cyclones with our shores but they do and can affect our country.
By the time they reach us they have usually been considerably weakened after passing over Madagascar and Mozambique, by cooler waters off our east coast.
For this reason it is extremely rare that wind is a cause of major damage here, but flooding is usually the factor resulting in damage and loss of life.
The question is, how many tropical cyclones have there been to hit the Limpopo region in the past? The answer is not many, but two stand out because of the destruction it caused and the number of deaths that occurred.
In 1977, Tropical Storm Emilie brought major flooding to the Limpopo Valley area where there were 300 reported deaths.
After a 16-year gap, tropical cyclone Eline barrelled across the Indian Ocean in February 2000, leaving a trail of destruction in Madagascar and Mozambique she continued to move further inland over Southern Africa.
Eline brought extreme rainfall and flooding to parts of eastern Limpopo and Mpumalanga, causing hundreds of millions of rand in damage and killing 21 people in South Africa alone.
As it has been 17 years since the last tropical storm/cyclone, what are your expectations for Dineo?
Send us your thoughts.
