Mozambique - Tropical Storm Jude Flash Update No. 2 (as of 10 March 2025)

This update follows on from Flash Update No. 1 on System 12-20242025

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tropical Cyclone Jude made landfall in Mossuril district, Nampula province on 10 March with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h and gustiness of up to 195 km/h.
• At least 780,000 people are at risk or very high risk due to high winds and torrential rains that the cyclone may bring in the provinces of Nampula and Zambezia, according to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD). In addition, the Hydrological Department in Nampula has issued flooding alert to some main rivers.
• Early response has been mobilized through activation of the Mozambique Anticipatory Action (AA) Framework for Cyclones, with funds from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) rapidly disbursed to humanitarian partners for anticipatory action activities three days ahead of the cyclone landfall.
• Humanitarian response capacities are overstretched due to simultaneous ongoing responses to two previous cyclones (Chido in December 2024 and Dikeledi in January 2025) other shocks including cholera, food insecurity, conflict, and political tensions, and mobilization of resources will be a challenge amid the overall decline in humanitarian funding. The Tropical Cyclones Flash Appeal is 0.2 per cent funded.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

According to the Mozambique National Institute of Meteorology (INAM), Cyclone Jude made its landfall over the district of Mossuril in Nampula province on 10 March at 06:00H (local time), with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h and gustiness of up to 195 km/h.

The weather system is forecasted to linger over Nampula province until the evening of 10 March, bringing with it heavy rains – exceeding 250 mm in 24 hours – accompanied by severe thunderstorms that could trigger floods in the provinces of Nampula, Zambezia, Cabo Delgado, and Sofala (WFP ADAM flood forecast). The Hydrological Department issued a flooding alert in the areas along the main river basins of Nampula, and localized flooding has been reported in Nacala and Ilha de Moçambique districts.

Initial reports from partners in the field indicate the impact of the cyclone on houses, public infrastructure including roads, electricity and telecommunication lines. INGD and IOM-DTM teams were pre-deployed in the districts and are on standby for rapid needs assessments in areas that will be accessible.

At least 780,468 people are at very high and high risk across the provinces of the cyclone’s track, among them the 508,167 people in Nampula province and 272,302 people in Zambezia province.

Nampula and Zambezia provinces are experiencing cases of cholera, with 36 and 8 cases reported respectively in the past 24 hours according to the latest cholera bulletin. Cholera remains active in Nampula with the response hampered by the destruction of health and WASH facilities from the previous cyclones, and also ongoing high levels of misinformation and community violence against health workers. Flooding and population movements during preventive relocation and evacuation may trigger cholera spreading to new areas.

TS Jude is the third cyclone to affect Mozambique in the past three months, with Cyclones Chido (December 2024) and Dikeledi (January 2025) causing massive destruction in the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula and affecting a total of 684,000 people. The affected people in Nampula have yet to recover from the impact of the previous cyclones, with humanitarian response only managing to reach 14 per cent of the people targeted with some form of life-saving assistance in four districts.