Cyclone Filao
| Tropical cyclone (SWIO scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 2 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Cyclone Filao on February 29
|
|
| Formed | February 23, 1988 |
| Dissipated | March 2, 1988 |
| Highest winds |
10-minute sustained: 130 km/h (80 mph) 1-minute sustained: 155 km/h (100 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 954 hPa (mbar); 28.17 inHg |
| Fatalities | 100 |
| Damage | $10 million (1988 USD) |
| Areas affected | Madagascar, Mozambique |
| Part of the 1987–88 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
Cyclone Filao was a moderately intense tropical cyclone that caused widespread flooding in Mozambique in 1988. First classified as a tropical depression north of Madagascar, the system moved southwest, crossing the northern part of the nation before entering the Mozambique Channel on February 27, where it began to deepen. Later that day, the depression was upgraded into a moderate tropical storm. Two days later, Filao attained severe tropical storm intensity as it began to stall. On March 1, the storm reached cyclone intensity just before turning west. Later that day, Filao attained peak intensity, with winds of 135 km/h (85 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 954 mbar (hPa); 28.17 inHg. Within 24 hours, however, the system moved ashore near Quelimane in Central Mozambique, and several hours later, Filao dissipated inland.
Cyclone Filao killed 100 people in Mozambique, primarily in rural areas. Damage was heaviest in Quelimane, where wind gusts reached 105 km/h (65 mph) and rainfall totaled 104 mm (4.1 in). There, 57 people were killed and 7,375 were left homeless. Elsewhere, the Pungwe River and Limpopo River experienced severe flooding, with the former sustaining its worst flood of the decade. Power and telephone services were also knocked out while a road that connected Mozambique to Zimbabwe was destroyed. In all, 5,500 ha (14,000 acres) of crops were destroyed. Damage totaled to $10 million, including $1.5 million in property damage.
On February 23, Météo-France's office on the island of Réunion (MFR) started monitoring a tropical depression to the northeast of Madagascar. At this time, the depression developed a closed circulation, which received a rating of T1.5 on the Dvorak Scale, a tool used to estimate a system's intensity. Shortly thereafter, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) first classified the system, designating it as 14S. Following a slight increase in organization, the depression moved southwest and quickly crossed the tip of northern Madagascar. After weakening over land, the depression reentered the Mozambique channel near Analalava on February 25. Based on a 3.0 Dvorak classification, MFR upgraded the storm into a moderate tropical storm on February 27; the JTWC would follow suit later that day.
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