The KwaDukuza Municipality has announced the closures of Blythedale Beach, Thompson’s Bay Beach and Clarke Bay Beach until further notice amid fears around tropical storm, Cheneso.
KDM spokesperson, Sipho Mkhize, said the KZN Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence has been tracking Cheneso's movement.
"Whilst the cyclone is moving in a south easterly direction we are expecting the swell size to increase. The municipality in consultation with KZNSB has therefore taken a precautionary measure to ban bathing at some of its beaches from Saturday until further notice," Mkhize said.
However, the SA Weather Service confirmed that Cheneso is expected to adopt a more southerly track, passing close to Europa island but the storm poses no direct threat to South Africa.
SAWS said is predication is based on numeric weather predication models.
"The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ensemble guidance suggest high confidence that Cheneso will not deviate much from the current predicted track and will start to adopt faster overall movement towards the south-east on Sunday and Monday when a so-called 'policeward and accelerating' track can be expected, allowing the system to transition into extra tropical waters of the south-west Indian Ocean," the forecaster said.
SAWS said by Saturday, Cheneso is expected to intensify temporary to a tropical cyclone with strong winds of 118km to 166km/h.
The system should also continue to exhibit a well-defined 'eye'.
So far, 'Cheneso' has swirled around in the eastern part of the Mozambique Channel just off the west coast of Madagascar.
IOL