(The Watchers) – Tropical Cyclone “Kenneth” has rapidly intensified over the past 24 hours and is now a Category 4 hurricane equivalent on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Landfall is expected before the end of the UTC day, April 25 in northern Mozambique, near Ingoane, Cobre, Nagulue and Pangane, with destructive winds over 185 km/h (115 mph) – Category 3 hurricane equivalent. At 06:00 UTC on April 25, the center of Intense Tropical Cyclone “Kenneth” was located 145 km (90 miles) E of Ingoane, Mozambique and 158 km (98 miles) W of Moroni, Comoros.
It had a maximum average wind speed of 213 km/h (132 mph) and a central pressure of 934 hPa. “Over the last six hours, cloud tops surrounding Kenneth’s pinhole eye have continued to cool, thus increasing further the intensity estimates,” RSMC La Reunion said. On the current track, a landfall on the north Mozambican coast is expected by the end of the afternoon or in the early evening (Mozambique’s time), 100 to 150 km (62 – 93 miles) N of Pemba, the center said. READ MORE
