Major rains drive widespread flooding in southern Mozambiqueby Adam VoilandLondon, UK (SPX) Jan 30, 2026Weeks of intense rain in December and January swelled rivers and overwhelmed key reservoirs in southern Mozambique, sending floodwaters across broad floodplains and into heavily populated areas along the Limpopo and Incomati rivers. In a Terra MODIS image acquired on December 17, 2025, only a thin line of river water threads through largely dry floodplains in southern Mozambique. A natural color version of the scene shows thick, sediment-laden plumes flowing through the river systems and discharging into the Mozambique Channel, signaling strong erosion and runoff from upstream catchments. Some of the hardest hit cities include the capital Maputo, the coastal city of Xai-Xai, and the inland city of Chokwe, where reports describe the Limpopo River flooding as overwhelming. These observations contribute to both immediate emergency response and longer term assessments of how extreme rainfall and flooding events are affecting vulnerable regions such as southern Mozambique.