Mozambique to face serious flooding when Freddy hits

Having formed to the north-west of Australia more than 30 days ago, storm Freddy is still going and could end up in the record books for the longest-lasting tropical storm on record.

The World Meteorological Organization is currently analysing the weather system to see if its longevity is indeed record-breaking.

Over the past week or so it has bounced between southern Mozambique and coastal Madagascar.

However, it is now strengthening again and its last act is to head back to Mozambique, as a cyclone once more, with wind gusts in excess of 160km/h (99.4mph) and a coastal storm surge.

Expected to make landfall on the coast of central Mozambique late on Friday, as winds gradually ease, flooding will become the major hazard.

Between 30cm and 50cm (11.8in and 19.8in) of rain could fall in central Mozambique and southern Malawi over the weekend, with devastating floods possible over a large area.

Into next week, impactful rain will also occur over parts of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia.

This, however, could be the last act of this long-lasting storm.