Cyclone Idai

[Jim Eshelman]

March 14, 2019, 23:30 UT, Beira, Mozambique
(This is 1:30 AM EET in Beira)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Idai

This cyclone struck Mozambique four days ago and has killed more than 1,007 people, "submerging entire villages and leaving bodies floating in the floodwaters" (AP). It is being tentatively called "the deadliest storm in generations" to strike Mozambique. Economic damages are in excess of $2 billion.

It struck ocean port city Beira "late Thursday" then moved inland, and has now struck many other nearby countries. Limited communication channels has made assessing the situation difficult. According to the Red Cross, 90% of Beira was damaged or destroyed. Flooding atop earlier ground-saturating rain turned the surrounding areas into an inland ocean, according to observers.

On March 14, 0:00 UT, Idai peaked at 195 mph 10-minute sustained winds and 205 mph one-minute sustained winds. The reported landfall was March 14, 23:30 UT at Beira; perhaps in the future we will have a more exact location, but this will do for now.. NOTE: Weather.com lists landfall as "between 12:00 and 12:30 AM local time early Friday morning near Beira..."

LIBSOLAR. The Capsolar is dormant for Beira, so the Libsolar is the active Quarter chart. The 0°35' Moon-Mars conjunction (square Mercury partile) has Mars 0°45' above Asc, Moon 1°12' above, Mercury 0°53' from MC in mundane and ecliptical partile square.

ARILUNAR. This certainly signals rain and flooding! Jupiter 1°13' from Asc, Neptune 3° from IC (conjunct Sun), and the usual Moon-Pluto square.

DAY: With communication and transportation channels down, you know in advance that an afflicted Mercury is on an angle. The Capsolar has a 3° Mercury-Saturn conjunction and the CapQ puts the Saturn on WP and the Mercury square MC, both within minutes. Transits to the Capsolar itself are mixed, with Venus having just crossed MC and Mars minutes from EP. Supplementing but unnecessary, the CanQ puts transiting Neptune square MC within 08'. Meanwhile, transiting Pluto is just over 1° from Beira's Cansolar Asc.