Tropical Cyclone Cheneso weakened west of Madagascar on Wednesday night. At 10:00 a.m. EST on Thursday the center of Tropical Cyclone Cheneso was located at latitude 20.4°S and longitude 42.6°E which put it about 110 miles (175 km) west-southwest of Morondava, Madagascar. Cheneso was moving toward the south-southwest at 3 m.p.h. (5 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 75 m.p.h. (120 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 90 m.p.h. (145 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 980 mb.

Tropical Cyclone Cheneso was nearly stationary over the Mozambique Channel west of Madagascar for 36 hours. The winds in the lower levels of the atmosphere mixed cooler water to the surface of the Mozambique Channel. Cheneso extracted less energy from the cooler water and it weakened slightly. A ring of thunderstorms around the center of Tropical Cyclone Cheneso weakened. The strongest thunderstorms were occurring in the southern part of the ring around the center. Other bands of thunderstorms were revolving around the center of Cheneso’s circulation. Winds to hurricane/typhoon force extended out 30 miles (50 km) from the center of Tropical Cyclone Cheneso. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 115 miles (185 km) from the center of circulation.

A surface high pressure system over the Southwest Indian Ocean will move southeast during the next several days. Tropical Cyclone Cheneso will move around the northwestern side of the high pressure system during the next 24 hours. The high pressure system will steer Cheneso toward the southwest during the next day or so. On its anticipated track, Tropical Cyclone Cheneso will move parallel to the coast of southwestern Madagascar during the next 24 hours. Bands in the eastern side of Cheneso’s circulation will drop locally heavy rain over western Madagascar. Heavy rain could cause flash floods in some locations.

Tropical Cyclone Cheneso will move into an environment favorable for intensification after it moves southwest of the cooler water it mixed to the surface. Cheneso will move over over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29˚C. It will be under the axis of an upper level ridge that stretches from Madagascar westward across southern Africa. The upper level winds are weak near the axis of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear. Tropical Cyclone Cheneso is likely to intensify during the next 24 hours.