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Explainer: Details of Cyclone Hidaya threatening Kenya's Coast

A satellite image of Cyclone Hidaya. (Photo: Google Earth)

By Maureen Kinyanjui | 03 May 2024

Kenya and Tanzania are bracing for a cyclone on the heels of torrential rains and floods that have devastated the two nations.

President William Ruto on Friday announced that Kenya might experience its first-ever cyclone.

In his National Address at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said that Cyclone Hidaya would cause huge disruptions along the Kenya coast with the impacts being severe.

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“This Cyclone, named Hidaya, that could hit anytime now is predicted to cause torrential rain, strong winds, and powerful and dangerous waves, which could disrupt marine activities in the Indian Ocean and settlements along the Kenyan coast,” he said.

The Kenya Meteorological Department had earlier announced that the coastal counties of Mombasa, Tana River, Kilifi, Lamu and Kwale will be spared the rainy conditions this week but they are likely to be hit by the cyclone.

What is Cyclone Hidaya?

According to Relief Web, Hidaya, a new tropical storm was formed on Labour Day, May 1, 2024, over the central Indian Ocean, north of Madagascar, Comoros and Mayotte (France).
It then started moving west towards eastern Tanzania.

As defined by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), cyclones are also called hurricanes or typhoons, depending on the region.

A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm that begins over tropical oceans and can vary in speed, size, and intensity.

As the WMO highlights, tropical cyclones are the second-most dangerous natural hazards after earthquakes.

Latest view of Tropical Cyclone #Hidaya via @eumetsat’s Meteosat-IODC satellite. pic.twitter.com/7dQQC6Dfi5
— Zoom Earth (@zoom_earth) May 3, 2024

According to the organisation, 1,945 disasters have been attributed to tropical cyclones over the past 50 years.

“Each year, tropical cyclones cause multiple casualties, deaths, and significant damage to property and infrastructure in the immediate term,” says WMO.

Apart from Kenya, Tanzania has also cautioned its citizens concerning Cyclone Hidaya.

The Tanzania Red Cross on Thursday announced that the presence of Hidaya near the coastal region is expected to dominate and affect the weather patterns in the country including heavy rain and strong winds in some regions near the Indian Ocean

As highlighted by the Relief Web, on May 3, 2024 ( Friday) Cyclone Hidaya at its centre was located offshore, approximately 500 km south-east of the area of Dar es Salaam city with maximum sustained winds of 137 km/h (tropical cyclone).

The Relief Web indicates that Hidaya is expected to continue moving northwestward over the ocean and continue strengthening, passing by very close (without making the landfall) to the area of Dar es Salaam city between May 4 in the afternoon and May 5 very early in the morning with maximum sustained winds of up to 75 km/h (tropical storm).

The Kenyan Cabinet on Thursday warned that the Coastal region is likely to be hit by the cyclone. This is as torrential rains continue to lash the country, claiming the lives of more than 200 people.

Also, 125 people have been injured, 90 are missing, and 165,500 people have been displaced.