Devastating floods force kruger national park evacuations as south africa and mozambique face relentless rainfall

A powerful weather system has unleashed catastrophic flooding across northeastern South Africa and Mozambique, prompting authorities to raise flood warnings to their highest level and forcing emergency evacuations at the iconic Kruger National Park. The unprecedented deluge has washed away roads and left communities struggling against rising waters that show no signs of stopping.

The crisis began over the weekend when a slow-moving cut-off low pressure system settled over the region like a stationary storm factory, continuously pulling moisture from surrounding areas and unleashing torrential downpours. Some South African communities have been hammered with extraordinary rainfall totals – Graskop in Mpumalanga province recorded 113mm in just 24 hours, while Phalaborwa saw 85mm fall in the same period. These amounts represent what these areas typically receive over much longer periods.

The weather emergency is far from over. Meteorologists warn that the stubborn weather system remains anchored in place, with more intense rainfall expected through Friday and into the weekend. Maputo, Mozambique’s capital city of over one million people, could see daily rainfall exceeding 200mm by Friday’s end – enough to cause severe urban flooding. Meanwhile, western South Africa and northwestern Eswatini brace for additional rainfall totals surpassing 100mm.

This extreme weather event highlights the region’s vulnerability to intense precipitation patterns, which climate scientists increasingly link to changing global weather systems that can trap storm systems in place for extended periods.