At 10pm yesterday, Sunday 30 January, tropical cyclone Batsirai was centred at about 375km north-north-east of Rodrigues, at latitude 16.5 degrees south and longitude 65.1 degrees east. According to the Vacoas weather station, the cyclone continues to move in a west-northwest direction at a speed of about 18km/hour. On this track, Batsirai is approaching Rodrigues and is expected to pass about 340km north of Baladirou by midday tomorrow.
As Batsirai is small in diameter, Rodrigues will be out of reach of the strongest winds. However, external cloud bands to the extreme south of Batsirai continue to influence the weather in Rodrigues. The public in Rodrigues is therefore advised to take preliminary precautions.
The weather will be cloudy to overcast with intermittent rain. The rains will be moderate with isolated thunderstorms and will be more frequent tomorrow. The wind will be from the south-east at around 55 km/h, increasing tomorrow with gusts up to 100 km/h. The sea will be very rough with swells of around 5 metres. The public is advised not to venture out to sea.
