by James Parrish for MetDesk on (#6TH60)
Tropical storm batters eastern parts of Africa, including French territory still recovering from Cyclone ChidoOver the weekend, eastern parts of Africa were threatened by Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi. What started as a slight tropical disturbance between Indonesia and Australia on 2 January progressed westwards while developing into a depression over the week that followed.The depression strengthened into a moderate tropical storm with heavy downpours and gusty winds exceeding 39mph (63km/h) across central parts of the Indian Ocean. At this time, the system was named Dikeledi. It continued westwards and deepened into a tropical cyclone on the evening of 10 January as maximum sustained wind speeds hit 74mph - the equivalent of becoming a category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean. Continue reading...