 Intense Tropical Cyclone Cyclone Jokwe on 10 March | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2 March 2008 |
| Dissipated | 16 March 2008 |
| Intense tropical cyclone | |
| 10-minute sustained (MFR) | |
| Highest winds | 195 km/h (120 mph) |
| Highest gusts | 270 km/h (165 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 940 hPa (mbar); 27.76 inHg |
| Category 3-equivalent tropical cyclone | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 205 km/h (125 mph) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 16 direct |
| Damage | >$8 million (2008 USD) |
| Areas affected | Madagascar, Mozambique |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2007–08 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
Intense Tropical Cyclone Jokwe was the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in Mozambique since Cyclone Favio struck in the previous year, and was the most recent cyclone to make landfall on Mozambique until Cyclone Dineo in 2017. The tenth named storm of the 2007–08 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Jokwe was first classified as a tropical depression on 2 March over the open Southwest Indian Ocean. It tracked west-southwest, crossing northern Madagascar as a tropical storm on 5 March before intensifying into a tropical cyclone on 6 March. Jokwe rapidly intensified to reach peak winds of 195 km/h (121 mph), before weakening slightly and striking Nampula Province in northeastern Mozambique. It quickly weakened while paralleling the coastline, though the storm restrengthened as it turned southward in the Mozambique Channel. Late in its duration, it remained nearly stationary for several days, and steadily weakened due to wind shear before dissipating on 16 March.
The storm caused minor damage in northern Madagascar. In Mozambique, the cyclone affected 200,000 people, and left at least sixteen fatalities. Cyclone Jokwe destroyed over 9,000 houses and damaged over 3,000 more, with the heaviest damage in Angoche and the Island of Mozambique in Nampula Province. The storm also caused widespread power outages and crop damages. The name Jokwe was submitted to the World Meteorological Organization by Botswana.[1]
- ^ World Meteorological Organization (2005). "Seventeenth Session of the RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South-West Indian Ocean" (PDF).[permanent dead link]