Cyclone Japhet
| Intense tropical cyclone (SWIO scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 4 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Cyclone Japhet near peak intensity
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| Formed | February 25, 2003 |
| Dissipated | March 6, 2003 |
| Highest winds |
10-minute sustained: 175 km/h (110 mph) 1-minute sustained: 215 km/h (135 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 935 hPa (mbar); 27.61 inHg |
| Fatalities | 25 total |
| Areas affected | Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Part of the 2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
Cyclone Japhet was a damaging tropical cyclone that affected southeast Africa in March 2003. It developed on February 25 near the southwest coast of Madagascar, and initially moved to the northwest before turning to the southwest. With favorable conditions for development, Japhet quickly intensified in the Mozambique Channel, reaching maximum winds of 175 km/h (109 mph) , sustained over 10 minutes. After stalling briefly, the cyclone turned to the northwest, weakening slightly before striking Mozambique just south of Vilankulo on March 2. Japhet slowly weakened while progressing inland, dissipating over Zambia on March 6.
Along its path, Japhet dropped heavy rainfall that caused widespread river flooding. The rains occurred after an extended drought, although excessive precipitation caused heavy crop damage, notably around where the storm moved ashore. In two provinces in Mozambique, the cyclone damaged or destroyed 25,000 houses, leaving at least 23,000 people homeless. Flooding in Zambia caused rivers to rise in Mozambique several days after the storm's passage. There were 17 deaths in Mozambique. Further inland, remnant rainfall destroyed a bridge and several houses in Zimbabwe, killing eight people.
On February 23, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began monitoring an area of convection in the Mozambique Channel. On February 25, Météo France (MF) initiated advisories on Tropical Disturbance 13 when the system was located along the southwest coast of Madagascar. Later that day, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert, noting that environmental conditions favored development, including weak wind shear. The system developed organized convection in a circular pattern, and on February 26, the MF and JTWC upgraded the system to Tropical Depression 13 and Tropical Cyclone 19S, respectively. With a mid-level ridge to the south, the depression moved generally westward, and after intensifying further, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Japhet by the Direction de la Météorologie et de l'Hydrologie of Madagascar late on February 26.
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Wikipedia