Forgotten accounts of tropical cyclones making landfall in Tanzania

Abstract

Landfalling tropical cyclones are essentially unheard of in Tanzania. It has been suggested that Cyclone Kenneth, which occurred in 2019, was the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in Tanzania. This paper brings to light tropical cyclones that made landfall in Tanzania in 1872 and 1952. We draw on eyewitness accounts and meteorological observations to raise the profile of these seemingly forgotten tropical cyclones, which devastated lives and economic activities. The severe societal impacts, and potential link to climate change, of landfalling tropical cyclones in Tanzania encourages further investigation into the drivers of tropical cyclones in the southwest Indian Ocean.