Swell Waves Flood Malé Areas
Swell waves (udha) struck the Malé area around midday today, coinciding with the day's highest tide. MNDF reported on social media that it is working to drain floodwater, though no further details were given.
The hardest-hit area was Industrial Village, where waves carrying rocks and sand caused motorcycles to fall into the water, resulting in significant damage. The Carnival area was also badly affected — parked motorcycles and cars were swept into the water, and waves entered nearby cafés along the seafront, creating dangerous conditions.
Today's peak tide reached 0.74 meters at 11:53am. Tide models forecast tomorrow's peak at 0.79 meters around 12:28pm. The Meteorological Office expects wave heights of 2–4 feet in the area, with average winds from the west-northwest at 5–15 mph and gusts up to 35 mph.
Despite cloudy skies over Malé today, officials noted the swell was not unusually severe for the season.