Cyclone still a threat

Calm seemed to have returned to Durban on Monday after Cyclone Irina passed near the coastal city on Sunday. Around Durban’s city centre, several parts of the N2 and arterial roads were flooded on Sunday afternoon. 

Along the N2 near Isipingo, south of Durban and close to where the old airport was located, the freeway was temporarily closed after severe flooding made driving on the road a risk.

Unrelenting rain pelted the area for more than 12 hours, leaving Durban with approximately 135mm of rain, weather officials said.

Parts of the beachfront area had the same fate as the inner city roads on Sunday, as continuous rain and strong gusts of wind battered the shoreline. Meanwhile police and disaster services issued a warning on Sunday night that, although Irina had been downgraded, it still remained a threat to KwaZulu Natal's coastal areas, particularly up north along the Richards Bay vicinity. 

The weather system was likely to remain over open water between Maputo and Richards Bay for the next 24 hours, the National Joint Operational Centre told The Mercury. For Monday, weather service official predicted gale-force south-westerly winds with a warning of very rough seas with waves up to 6m.