 On April 6 , a cold front exited the southeast coast of Africa into the Mozambique Channel , producing a small circulation on the next day southeast of Mozambique . On April 7 , the system organized into Subtropical Depression 13 and gradually separated from the dissipating cold front . A ridge to the south steered the depression northward as the system became better defined . However , persistent wind shear initially prevented convection from organizing over the center . On April 9 , the depression turned northwestward toward Mozambique as thunderstorms increased , aided by a decrease in wind shear through a shift in the jet stream . The center came very close to the Mozambique coast near Inhambane . Due to the small radius of maximum winds , the coastline was spared from strong gusts , although the system dropped 93 @.@ 8 mm ( 3 @.@ 69 in ) of rainfall in Inhambane over 48 hours . 
