Cyclone Idai Turns Central Mozambique into an Inland Sea

In early March 2019, a weather system designated Tropical Depression 11 formed in the Mozambique Channel and pushed across the coast of Mozambique. Over the course of five days inland, it triggered deadly river flooding across northern and central provinces as well as neighboring Malawi. The low-pressure center then looped backward, emerging over open water on March 9. Nourished by high sea surface temperatures and favorable upper-level atmospheric conditions, it reorganized and rapidly gained strength. By the time regional meteorological agencies tracked its renewed westward trajectory toward southern Africa, the system had intensified into Cyclone Idai.

Idai reached peak intensity on March 14, carrying ten-minute maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour. Early the following morning, the eye crossed the coastline near the central port of Beira. The landfall brought a storm surge that the World Meteorological Organization estimated at 2.5 meters, along with torrential rain. Surging water and high winds tore off rooftops, toppled communications networks, destroyed electrical grids, and crippled regional transit links. Relief agencies later calculated that approximately ninety percent of Beira suffered serious damage or total destruction, leaving hundreds of thousands of urban residents cut off from outside help.