Due to tropical storm Cheneso, Blythedale Beach, Thompson’s Bay, and Clarke Bay in KwaZulu-Natal will be closed to the public from Saturday, January 28 until further notice.
Cheneso is the first tropical system to be given a name in the South-West Indian Ocean.
Sipho Mkhize, a spokeswoman for KwaDukuza Municipality, stated that while the Cheneso is allegedly traveling in a south-eastern direction, they expect the wave magnitude to rise.
“The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence (KZNSB) has been monitoring cyclone Cheneso. Mkhize stated that the municipality, in consultation with the KZNSB, has taken precautionary measures to prohibit bathing on parts of its beaches beginning tomorrow, January 28, 2023, until further notice.
According to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), Cheneso will bring gale force to strong gale force winds to the northern and northeastern coasts of Madagascar, as well as widespread torrential rain and the accompanying flash flooding.
In addition, there is a potential of significant wind damage to the built environment as well as injury to people and animals from flying debris.
“Storm surge and extremely rough sea conditions are additional marine-related risks for northern and northeastern Madagascan coastal communities,” the meteorological agency stated.
Friday, January 27th, the SAWS reported that Cyclone Cheneso was active in the Mozambique Channel but was not predicted to immediately affect South Africa.
“According to the most recent numerical weather prediction (NWP) models and advice from the Regional Specialist Meteorological Centre (RSMC) at La Reunion Island, Cheneso will continue to move slowly south-westward today. Given that Cheneso is now classed as a strong tropical storm, sustained winds of 89 to 118 km/h around the system’s core or vortex can be expected to be quite devastating.
“Extremely rough seas of four to six meters can also be anticipated in the vicinity of the system. By Saturday, it is projected that Cheneso would pursue a more southerly course, passing near Europa Island. It is also anticipated that Cheneso may momentarily intensify into a ‘tropical cyclone’ with sustained winds between 118 and 166 kilometers per hour, according to the report.
»Three KZN beaches have been closed because of a SEVERE tropical storm. Cheneso«