Tropical Storm Delfina (2002)

Severe Tropical Storm Delfina

Severe tropical storm (SWIO scale)
Tropical storm (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Satellite image of Delfina on January 1
Formed	December 30, 2002
Dissipated	January 1, 2003
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 95 km/h (60 mph) 1-minute sustained: 100 km/h (65 mph)
Lowest pressure	984 hPa (mbar); 29.06 inHg
Fatalities	54 direct
Damage	$3.5 million (2002 USD)
Areas affected	Mozambique, Malawi
Part of the 2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season

Severe Tropical Storm Delfina was a damaging tropical cyclone that affected southeastern Africa in January 2003. The fourth named storm of the 2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Delfina formed off the northwest coast of Madagascar on December 30, 2002. It quickly intensified while moving westward, becoming a strong tropical storm before hitting northeastern Mozambique on December 31. Delfina weakened while moving inland, and it was no longer classifiable as a tropical cyclone by January 1, 2003. However, its remnants moved across the country and into Malawi, later looping around and crossing back over Mozambique; the remnants of Delfina were last observed on January 9.

In both Mozambique and Malawi, Delfina dropped heavy rainfall that caused flooding. In the former country, over 18,000 houses were severely damaged or destroyed, leaving thousands homeless. The storm damaged roads and bridges, which disrupted relief efforts in the aftermath, and floods destroyed widespread areas of crops in the midst of an ongoing food shortage. Lingering flooding caused an outbreak of cholera and malaria in Mozambique, and 47 people were killed by Delfina. In Malawi, flooding was not widespread, although the storm destroyed about 3,600 houses and killed eight people. Only two months after the storm struck, however, Cyclone Japhet left damage and deaths in many of the same areas that Delfina affected.

At 1100 UTC on December 30, 2002, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) noted in its Significant Tropical Weather Outlook that an area of convection persisted in the Mozambique Channel off the northwest coast of Madagascar. The system had a weak circulation, located in an area of minimal wind shear. At 1200 UTC that day, Météo-France classified the system as the sixth zone of disturbed weather of the season. It quickly developed, organizing into Tropical Disturbance 6 at 1800 UTC on December 30. At around the same time, the JTWC initiated advisories on Tropical Cyclone 08S. The convection became better organized, developing outflow and rainbands. With a ridge to the south, the storm tracked in a generally westward direction toward Mozambique. At 0600 UTC on December 31, MFR upgraded the system to Tropical Depression 6, and six hours later the agency upgraded it to Tropical Storm Delfina.