According to the latest low pressure forecast from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), tropical storm Dudzai is currently operating in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 846 km south-southeast of Diego Garcia Island.
The strongest wind in the area near the storm center reaches about 65km/h, gusts up to 95km/h.
In the past 6 hours, the storm moved south at a speed of about 9-11 km/h and continued to strengthen gradually. Significant sea wave height currently reaches 5.5 m, showing strong rough seas conditions in remote seas.
Typhoon Dudzai is forecast to continue moving in a South-Southeast direction in the next 1-2 days, then slow down and tend to change direction to the southwest, due to changes in the surrounding subtropical high pressure troughs.
The storm may gradually strengthen in the next 2 days, with maximum wind speeds forecast to reach about 110-155 km/h, especially there is a scenario of rapidly intensifying the storm due to a small core structure, although this possibility is still assessed as low.
After reaching its peak intensity in the next 48-60 hours, the storm is forecast to gradually weaken due to the impact of stronger gusts as it moves westward.
Regional meteorological agencies affirmed that in the next 5 days, Typhoon Dudzai will not directly affect islands with large tourism activities such as the island nation of Mauritius in East Africa, La Reunion island and the Mayotte archipelago of France...
The storm is forecast to remain far from the mainland, moving over the vast sea area of the Indian Ocean. However, in some remote sea areas, strong rough seas and long waves may appear, affecting maritime activities and sea tourism.
In current scenarios, Rodrigues Island is considered the most sensitive, if the storm changes direction west or southwest and continues to strengthen. Some potential risks include large waves, rough seas, heavy rain around January 17-18, strong gusts of wind if the storm approaches the mainland.
Tourists planning to travel to Mauritius, Reunion or Rodrigues next week should closely follow tropical storm bulletins and sea weather warnings.
Limit cruises, diving, and sea travel in the southwestern Indian Ocean while the storm is still active.
