Heavy rains, high seas forecast as storm 'Desmond' nears Mozambique

Tropical storm 'Desmond' is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds of up to 70km/h to Mozambique, the South African Weather Service warned on Monday.

At this stage, the storm is expected to make landfall at about 6am on Tuesday, according to various forecasts.

Flooding is feared for places over the southern and central provinces of Mozambique, said the SA Weather Service.

"Tropical storm Desmond is moving gradually to the north-west at about 20km/h, nearing the central coast of Mozambique (near Vilanculos, Beira, Quelimane).

"In the southern Mozambique Channel, the sea conditions will be very rough (4.5 to 6.5 metres)," the service cautioned.

Meanwhile, Gauteng Weather shared on social media that these conditions would lead to an "extremely hot and very dry week, as the tropical storm in the Mozambique Channel draws moisture away from Gauteng".