At least six people have died, and tens of thousands have been displaced after Cyclone Jude made landfall in Mozambique’s northern Nampula province, local sources confirmed on Monday.

According to the National Institute of Meteorology, the cyclone hit the country early Monday morning, weakening into a severe tropical storm that brought 200 millimeters of rainfall throughout the day, with winds reaching 140 km/h and gusts of up to 195 km/h.

The cyclone’s impact has raised the death toll from Mozambique’s rainy season, which began in October 2024, to 234.

Faruk Nuro, the mayor of the coastal city of Nacala, confirmed that at least four people died in the town.

“Three were killed when their homes collapsed, and one died after a warehouse wall fell. Many houses lost their roofs, and many people lost their belongings,” Nuro said.

In the coastal district of Moma, local official João Zampula reported that access roads had been damaged by the cyclone.

“I am referring to the roads leading to the district headquarters from Angoche, Chalaua, and other communities. We had 18 houses destroyed and one fatality,” Zampula stated.

In Meconta district, another area in Nampula province, government official Albino Mucuna reported one death, dozens of injuries, and the destruction of multiple public and private infrastructures.

Mozambican meteorologists predict that Cyclone Jude, the third storm of this rainy season, will continue to bring heavy rainfall in the coming days, affecting not only Nampula but also the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Zambezia.

Southeastern Africa experiences a tropical storm season from October to April, often leading to significant casualties and widespread destruction.

Between February and March 2023, Cyclone Freddy, the longest-lasting cyclone on record, claimed over 1,200 lives in Malawi and nearly 200 in Mozambique, affecting more than 1.7 million people across Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Madagascar, and the French island of Réunion.

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