Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, escapes major damage as Cyclone Hidaya makes landfall on Mafia Island near it

Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital and largest city of Tanzania, escaped major damage on May 4, 2024, as Cyclone Hidaya made landfall on Mafia Island, 130 kilometres south-southeast of it in the Indian Ocean.

Hidaya hit Mafia Island at 9 am local time on May 4. It significantly lost its strength upon making landfall.

“The trend and patterns of weather systems indicates that in the past 6 hours, Tropical Cyclone Hidaya has completely lost its strength following its landfall at Mafia Island earlier today,” the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) said in a statement on May 5.

“In addition, the remnants of the rain clouds that accompanied the Tropical Cyclone have been observed to weaken and spreading out in various areas of the southern region of our country, particularly in Lindi, Mtwara, Morogoro and neighbouring areas. Therefore, there is no further threat of Tropical Cyclone Hidaya in our country,” the statement added.  

Tanzanian media outlet The Citizen noted in its report that while Hidaya damaged property on Mafia Island, there were no reports of human casualties.

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• Cyclone Hidaya to slam into Tanzania south of Dar es Salaam; Ruto puts Kenya on alert
• Hidaya has made landfall as per Kenya Met Department; but another depression is developing behind it

The cyclone brought heavy rain to Tanzania.

“For example, up to 9 o'clock in the afternoon, the weather station of Kilwa Masoko (Lindi) has reported a total rainfall of 200.8 millimetres for the past 6 hours. This level of rainfall is very high considering that the average rainfall for the month of May for the Kilwa Masoko station is only 96.6 millimeters. Thus, the amount of rain that fell within 6 hours in the station is approximately 208 percent of the average rainfall for the month of May for Kilwa Masoko station,” the TMA statement said.

Meanwhile, north of Tanzania, Kenya has banned beach activities within Kenya’s territorial waters until midnight on Monday, May 6 due to Cyclone Hidaya, state broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) reported on May 4.

Fishing, swimming, and non-essential transport have been suspended in Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi and Lamu Counties, noted KBC.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said that the cyclone could generate massive precipitation with strong winds and powerful waves capable of significantly disrupting normal activities within Kenya’s territorial waters in the Indian Ocean as well as human settlements along the Kenyan Coast. This necessitated the move.

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