Satellite image of Cyclone Gafilo nearing Madagascar as one of the most intense tropical cyclones in the South-West Indian Ocean

In the South-West Indian Ocean, Météo-France's La Réunion tropical cyclone centre (MFR, RSMC La Réunion) monitors all tropical cyclones. A very intense tropical cyclone (VITC) is the highest category on the South-West Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone scale, and has winds of over 115 knots (212 kilometres per hour, 132 miles per hour).[1] The most recent very intense tropical cyclone was Cyclone Freddy in 2023.

Background

The South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclone basin is located to the south of the Equator between Africa and 90°E.[2] The basin is officially monitored by Météo-France who run the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in La Réunion, while other meteorological services such as the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Mauritius Meteorological Service as well as the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center also monitor the basin.[2] Within the basin a very intense tropical cyclone is a tropical cyclone that has 10-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds of over 115 kn (215 km/h; 130 mph).[2]

Systems

Name Duration Peak intensity Areas affected Damage
(USD)		 Deaths Refs
Wind speed Pressure
Lydie March 6–8, 1973 220 km/h (140 mph) 910 hPa (26.87 inHg) Réunion$2 million10[3]
GervaiseFebruary 1 – 10, 1975280 km/h (175 mph)951 hPa (28.08 inHg)Mauritius, Reunion[4]
ClotildeJanuary 7 – 21, 1976250 km/h (155 mph)980 hPa (28.94 inHg)NoneNoneNone[5]
Terry–DanaeJanuary 10 – 29, 1976260 km/h (160 mph)955 hPa (28.20 inHg)NoneNoneNone[5]
Florine January 7, 1981 220 km/h (140 mph) 935 hPa (27.61 inHg) Réunion [6]
Chris-Damia240 km/h (150 mph)920 hPa (27.17 inHg)[7]
HudahApril 2, 2000220 km/h (140 mph)905 hPa (26.72 inHg)Madagascar, Mozambique114[8][9]
HaryMarch 10, 2002220 km/h (140 mph)905 hPa (26.72 inHg)Madagascar, Réunion4[10][11]
GafiloMarch 6–7, 2004230 km/h (145 mph)895 hPa (26.43 inHg)Seychelles, Madagascar, Mayotte$250 million363[12][13]
JulietApril 9–10, 2005220 km/h (140 mph)905 hPa (26.72 inHg)Rodrigues——[14][15]
EdzaniJanuary 8, 2010220 km/h (140 mph)910 hPa (26.87 inHg)NoneNoneNone[16]
BruceDecember 20–22, 2013220 km/h (140 mph)920 hPa (27.17 inHg)NoneNoneNone[17]
HellenMarch 30, 2014230 km/h (145 mph)915 hPa (27.02 inHg)Comoros, Mozambique, Madagascar≥$1 million17[18][19][20][21]
BansiJanuary 13, 2015220 km/h (140 mph)920 hPa (27.17 inHg)Rodrigues—[22]
EuniceJanuary 29–30, 2015230 km/h (145 mph)915 hPa (27.02 inHg)NoneNoneNone[23]
FantalaApril 17–18, 2016250 km/h (155 mph)910 hPa (26.87 inHg)Seychelles, Tanzania$3.73 million13[24][25][26][27]
AmbaliDecember 6, 2019220 km/h (140 mph)930 hPa (27.46 inHg)NoneNoneNone[28]
FarajiFebruary 8–9, 2021220 km/h (140 mph)935 hPa (27.61 inHg)NoneNoneNone[29]
HabanaMarch 10, 2021220 km/h (140 mph)935 hPa (27.61 inHg)NoneNoneNone
DarianDecember 21, 2022220 km/h (140 mph)920 hPa (27.17 inHg)NoneNoneNone
FreddyFebruary 19–20, 2023220 km/h (140 mph)931 hPa (27.49 inHg)Mauritius, Réunion, Mascarene Islands, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, MalawiUnknown1,434

Other systems

The Mauritius Meteorological Service classifies Dina in 2002 as a Very Intense Tropical Cyclone.[30] The Australian Bureau of Meteorology estimates that Severe Tropical Cyclone Daryl–Agnielle 1995 peaked with 10-minute sustained winds of 220 km/h (140 mph), which would make it a Very Intense Tropical Cyclone.[31] However, RSMC La Réunion shows that the system peaked with 10-minute sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph) which makes it an Intense Tropical Cyclone.[31]

Climatology

Very intense tropical cyclones by month
Month Number of storms
January
3
February
3
March
3
April
3
December
2
Very intense tropical cyclones by period
Period Number of storms
2000s
4
2010s
7
2020s
3

See also

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "Tableau de définition des cyclones" (in French). Météo-France. 2008. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
    2. 1 2 3 RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee (2023). Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the South-West Indian Ocean (PDF) (Report). World Meteorological Organization.
    3. ↑ "Le "club des 500 mm" – Pluies extrêmes à La Réunion". pluiesextremes.meteo.fr. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
    4. ↑ "Saison 1974-1975 des perturbations tropicales dans l'océan indien du sud-ouest" [1974-1975 Tropical disturbance season in the southwestern Indian Ocean]. Météorologie Maritime (in French). 1976. pp. 40–48. ISSN 0222-5123.
    5. 1 2 "Saison 1975-1976 des perturbations tropicales dans l'océan indien du sud-ouest" [1975-1976 Tropical disturbance season in the southwestern Indian Ocean]. Météorologie Maritime (in French). No. 95. 1977. pp. 44–48. ISSN 0222-5123.
    6. ↑ http://bibliotheque.meteo.fr/exl-php/docs/ILS_DOC/237214/doc00027049__PDF.txt#page=59
    7. ↑ http://bibliotheque.meteo.fr/exl-php/docs/ILS_DOC/237207/doc00027042__PDF.txt#page=59
    8. ↑ "Hudah : 2000-03-24 TO 2000-04-09". Météo-France in La Réunion. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    9. ↑ Centre des Cyclones Tropicaux de La Réunion. Saison Cyclonique – Sud-Ouest de l'océan Indien (PDF). La Saison Cyclonique A Madagascar (Report) (in French and English). La Réunion: Météo-France. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
    10. ↑ "Hary : 2002-03-03 TO 2002-03-17". Météo-France in La Réunion. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    11. ↑ 2001–2002 South-West Indian Ocean Cyclone Season (Report). Météo-France. pp. 64–75. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
    12. ↑ "Gafilo: 2004-03-01 TO 2004-03-18". Météo-France in La Réunion. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    13. ↑ Cyclone Season 2003–2004. RSMC La Réunion (Report). Météo-France. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
    14. ↑ "Juliet : 2005-04-02 TO 2005-04-16". Météo-France in La Réunion. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    15. ↑ Agricultural Cost of Production Survey 2005 (PDF) (Report). Republic of Mauritius Central Statistics Office. March 2008. p. 101. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
    16. ↑ "Edzani : 2010-01-03 TO 2010-01-15". Météo-France in La Réunion. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    17. ↑ "Bruce : 2013-12-16 TO 2013-12-25". Météo-France in La Réunion. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    18. ↑ "Hellen : 2014-03-26 TO 2014-04-05". Météo-France in La Réunion. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    19. ↑ "Mozambique: Four Dead in Torrential Rains in Pemba". Maputo, Mozambique: AllAfrica. March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
    20. ↑ "Tropical Depression Hellen overview (as of 1 April 2014)". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. ReliefWeb. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
    21. ↑ 2014 Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report (PDF) (Report). AON Benfield. p. 43. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    22. ↑ "Bansi : 2015-01-08 TO 2015-01-19". Météo-France in La Réunion. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    23. ↑ "Eunice : 2015-01-24 TO 2015-02-03". Météo-France in La Réunion. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    24. ↑ "Fantala : 10/04/2016 TO 26/04/2016". Météo-France in La Réunion. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    25. ↑ Athanase, Patsy; Uranie, Sharon (17 May 2016). "$4.5 million in damages from cyclone that hit remote Seychellois island, World Bank says". Victoria, Seychelles. Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
    26. ↑ "Floods kill seven in N. Tanzania". Philippine News Agency. 26 April 2016.  – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
    27. ↑ "Five killed, over 13,000 left homeless by floods in eastern Tanzania". Philippine News Agency. 28 April 2016.  – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
    28. ↑ "Cyclone 03-20192020". Saison en cours sur le sud-Ouest de l'Océan Indien (in French). Saint-Denis, Réunion: Météo-France La Réunion. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
    29. ↑ "Cyclone 03-20192020". Saison en cours sur le sud-Ouest de l'Océan Indien (in French). Saint-Denis, Réunion: Météo-France La Réunion. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
    30. ↑ List of Historical Cyclones (Report). Mauritius Meteorological Service. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
    31. 1 2 "1996 Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Daryl:Agnielle (1995319S05092)". International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
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