The 1993–94 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was the most active season in the basin since the start of reliable satellite coverage in 1967, until the record was surpassed 25 years later in the
2018–19 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
The 2018–19 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was a record breaking and devastating season that was the most active season ever recorded in the basin. It is also the deadliest cyclone season recorded in the South-West Indian Ocean, surpas ...
. Activity lasted from mid-November, when Moderate Tropical Storm Alexina formed, until mid-April, when Tropical Cyclone Odille became
extratropical
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
. Four tropical cyclones – Daisy,
Geralda, Litanne, and
Nadia
Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both.
In many Slavic languages, names similar to ''Nadia'' mean "hope": Ukrainia ...
– struck eastern
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
, of which Geralda was the costliest and deadliest. With gusts as strong as accompanied by heavy rainfall, Geralda destroyed more than 40,000 homes and left 356,000 people homeless. Geralda killed 231 people and caused more than $10 million in damage. Cyclone Nadia was the second deadliest cyclone, having killed 12 people in northern Madagascar and later severely damaging portions of northeastern
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
, killing about 240 people and leaving $20 million in damage in the latter country. In February,
Cyclone Hollanda
Tropical Cyclone Hollanda was the worst tropical cyclone in Mauritius in 19 years. It formed on 6 February 1994, in the central Indian Ocean in the Southern Hemisphere. The cyclone moved southwestward for much of its duration, striking Ma ...
struck
Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
near peak intensity, causing $135 million in damage and two deaths.
Three storms – Alexina, Bettina, and Cecilia – formed in late 1993, of which Cecilia affected land; it produced heavy rainfall in
Réunion
Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...
while dissipating. Cyclone Daisy was the first storm in 1994, which struck Madagascar twice and affected many areas that were later struck by Geralda. One cyclone – Farah – previously formed in the
Australian basin as Tropical Cyclone Pearl before crossing into the south-west Indian Ocean. Tropical Cyclone Ivy threatened Mauritius just days after Hollanda struck, and Intense Tropical Cyclone Litanne in March was the third of the season to hit northeastern Madagascar. The basin is defined as the area west of
90°E
The meridian 90° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.
It is the border between two tropical cyclone bas ...
and south of the
Equator
The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...
in the Indian Ocean, which includes the waters around Madagascar westward to the east coast of Africa. Tropical cyclones in this basin are monitored by the
Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre
A Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) is responsible for the distribution of information, advisories, and warnings regarding the specific program they have a part of, agreed by consensus at the World Meteorological Organization as ...
in Réunion (MFR), as well as by the
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
(JTWC).
__TOC__
Seasonal summary
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from:09/11/1993 till:14/11/1993 color:TS text:"Alexina (MTS)"
from:25/11/1993 till:02/12/1993 color:ST text:"Bettina (STS)"
from:05/12/1993 till:06/12/1993 color:TD text:"C1 (TD)"
from:12/12/1993 till:21/12/1993 color:ST text:"Cecilia (STS)"
from:07/01/1994 till:16/01/1994 color:TC text:"Daisy (TC)"
from:13/01/1994 till:19/01/1994 color:ST text:"Edmea (STS)"
barset:break
from:17/01/1994 till:21/01/1994 color:TC text:"Pearl-Farah (TC)"
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from:08/02/1994 till:21/02/1994 color:TC text:"Ivy (TC)"
from:15/02/1994 till:18/02/1994 color:TD text:"Julita (TD)"
from:05/03/1994 till:12/03/1994 color:TS text:"Kelvina (MTS)"
barset:break
from:07/03/1994 till:19/03/1994 color:IT text:"Litanne (ITC)"
from:10/03/1994 till:19/03/1994 color:ST text:"Mariola (STS)"
from:16/03/1994 till:01/04/1994 color:IT text:" Nadia (ITC)"
from:29/03/1994 till:17/04/1994 color:IT text:"Odille (ITC)"
bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas
from:01/11/1993 till:01/12/1993 text:November
from:01/12/1993 till:01/01/1994 text:December
from:01/01/1994 till:01/02/1994 text:January
from:01/02/1994 till:01/03/1994 text:February
from:01/03/1994 till:01/04/1994 text:March
from:01/04/1994 till:01/05/1994 text:April
TextData =
pos:(569,23)
text:"(For further details, please see"
pos:(713,23)
text:"scales
Scale or scales may refer to:
Mathematics
* Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points
* Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original
* Scale factor, a number ...
)"
On July 1, 1993, the
Météo-France
Météo-France is the official French meteorological administration, also offering services to Andorra and Monaco. It has the powers of the state and can exercise them in relation to meteorology. Météo-France is in charge of observing, study ...
office in
Réunion
Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...
(MFR) became a
Regional Specialized Meteorological Center
A Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) is responsible for the distribution of information, advisories, and warnings regarding the specific program they have a part of, agreed by consensus at the World Meteorological Organization as ...
, as designated by the
World Meteorological Organization
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology an ...
. In the year, MFR tracked tropical cyclones south of the equator from the coast of Africa to 90°
E. Due to the high activity during the season, MFR issued twice the number of advisories as in the previous year. Every six hours in the season, the agency issued bulletins when there was a tropical system within the basin. Storms were named by advisory centers in Mauritius and Madagascar.
During the year, there were neutral
El Niño Southern Oscillation
EL, El or el may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional entities
* El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit
* Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things''
* El, fami ...
conditions, and for several months there was a well-established
monsoon trough
The monsoon trough is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and northern hemispheres. It is a portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the Western Pacific,Bin WangThe Asian Monsoon.Retrieved 2008-05-03. and is dep ...
that extended into the Australian basin. The average storm duration was 9 days, although the final storm, Odille, lasted 16 days, a record at the time.
The season was the second-most active on record since the start of reliable satellite coverage in 1967. Due to the high number of storms, there were a record number of cyclone days – days in which a tropical cyclone is active – as well as intense tropical cyclone days, with a total of 27 days for the latter. The next seasons to approach either total were the
2001–02 and
2018–19 seasons.
MFR had an alphabetically prepared list of names for the season, the last seven of which went unused: Pemma, Ronna, Sydna, Telia, Valentina, Williana, and Yvanna.
In addition to the named storms, MFR tracked three other tropical systems that did not last for more than 24 hours. The first, designated Tropical Depression C1,
formed on December 5 near the eastern portion of the basin, and quickly dissipated. The other two, designated E1 and H1, formed in January and February, respectively.
In addition,
Tropical Cyclone Willy crossed into the basin as a dissipating tropical depression, for which MFR did not issue advisories.
Systems
Moderate Tropical Storm Alexina
The first storm of the season formed from a
low-pressure area
In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with incle ...
with associated
convection
Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...
that persisted east of the
Chagos Archipelago
The Chagos Archipelago (, ) or Chagos Islands (formerly , and later the Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about south of the Maldives archipelago. This chain of islands is the southernmo ...
on November 7.
It formed in tandem with two tropical depressions in the
North Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it ...
. The JTWC began tracking the system that day, although MFR did not follow suit until two days later.
On November 10, the depression intensified into Moderate Tropical Storm Alexina, having developed a
central dense overcast
The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or ir ...
. A narrow eastward-moving
trough
Trough may refer to:
In science
* Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench
* Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure
* Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave
* Trough level (medicine), the l ...
caused the storm to move generally southward for its entire duration, the only such storm of the season to maintain a largely north–south track.
On November 11, MFR estimated that Alexina attained peak winds of , while JTWC estimated peak winds of .
Increased
wind shear
Wind shear (; also written windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical ...
disrupted the convection, while a building
ridge
A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...
to the south caused its movement to slow.
By late on November 12, Alexina weakened to tropical depression status,
which subsequently drifted to the west until dissipating on November 16.
Severe Tropical Storm Bettina
On November 23, the
Intertropical Convergence Zone
The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ , or ICZ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the t ...
spawned a low-pressure area in the far northeastern portion of the basin,
which the JTWC assessed as having formed in the western Australian basin.
Located north of a large ridge,
the system tracked southwestward initially before turning more to the west. Late on November 25, MFR began classifying the system as a tropical disturbance, and within 12 hours the agency upgraded it to Moderate Tropical Storm Bettina.
On November 26, the storm turned to the southwest. The next day, Bettina developed an
eye feature, and MFR upgraded it to a severe tropical storm,
with winds of . By comparison, the JTWC estimated winds of .
After wind shear increased sharply on November 28, the storm quickly weakened and within 24 hours was devoid of convection.
Bettina again turned to the west as a tropical depression, moving around the large ridge. It briefly re-intensified on December 1,
but dissipated on December 3 south of the Mascarene Islands.
Severe Tropical Storm Cecilia
The Intertropical Convergence Zone spawned a tropical disturbance in the northeast portion of the basin on December 9. Initially the system did not develop,
and MFR did not classify it until December 12. The next day, the depression intensified into a moderate tropical storm,
and was named Cecilia.
The strengthening was short-lived, and the storm quickly weakened to tropical depression status on December 14.
After initially tracking to the southwest, Cecilia turned to the west on December 15 due to a strengthening ridge to the south, by which time it had restrengthened and developed a central dense overcast. On December 17, MFR upgraded the storm toa severe tropical storm,
with winds of according to MFR. The next day, JTWC estimated that Cecilia intensified to reach winds of .
While near peak intensity, the storm turned to the southwest and began weakening after wind shear increased. By December 19, Cecilia had weakened to tropical depression status, and dissipated on December 21 after passing west of Réunion. An approaching trough had caused thunderstorms to reform in the eastern portion of the circulation, which resulted in heavy rainfall over Mauritius and later Réunion. In the latter island, the rainfall was heaviest in the northern portion, peaking at in
Salazie
Salazie () is a volcanic caldera and commune (administrative division) of the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, which is an overseas department and region of France.
The first settlement of the area took place in 1829 after a cyclone had devast ...
in 24 hours; the same station recorded in a 6-hour period, including in just 30 minutes.
Tropical Cyclone Daisy
In early January, the Intertropical Convergence Zone persisted off the northeast coast of Madagascar, spawning a low-pressure area on January 6. The next day, the system developed into a tropical disturbance, which initially moved to the east due to high pressure to the south. On January 8, the system developed a curved area of convection, which later developed into a central dense overcast. Initially located within a broader trough, the disturbance gradually became better defined as a distinct system. On January 10, it intensified into Moderate Tropical Storm Daisy while passing near
St. Brandon. A trough to the south weakened the ridge, causing the storm to turn to the southwest toward Madagascar. Daisy intensified into a severe tropical storm on January 11, and later into a tropical cyclone the next day. At around 1200
UTC
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
on January 13, the cyclone made
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
near
Brickaville
Brickaville is a town and commune in Atsinanana Region, Madagascar.
Also known as Ampasimanolotra, Brickaville is located along Route nationale 2 (RN 2), 105 km south of Toamasina (the primary seaport of the country) and 220 km east of ...
in eastern Madagascar, with MFR estimating winds of about ;
at around the same time, the JTWC estimated peak winds of .
At landfall, Daisy had a symmetrical cloud pattern in diameter. The high mountains of Madagascar caused the storm to quickly weaken, although it emerged into the Mozambique Channel as a tropical disturbance on January 15. That day, a trough turned Daisy to the south, and it briefly re-intensified into a tropical storm over warm waters.
On January 16, Daisy made a second landfall in southern Madagascar and dissipated the next day.
When Daisy struck Madagascar, it produced wind gusts on
ÃŽle Sainte-Marie
Nosy Boraha , also known as Sainte-Marie, main town Ambodifotatra, is an island off the east coast of Madagascar. The island forms an administrative district within Analanjirofo Region, and covers an area of 222 km2.
It has a population e ...
, along with heavy rainfall. The storm destroyed over 90 schools and government buildings and damaged the road network. Madagascar's capital
Antananarivo
Antananarivo (Malagasy language, Malagasy: ; French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known ...
was flooded, forcing 6,000 people to evacuate.
Many of the same areas affected by Daisy were later affected by Geralda in February.
Severe Tropical Storm Edmea
The Intertropical Convergence Zone spawned a low-pressure area south of the Chagos archipelago on January 12, and developed a large area of convection the next day.
On January 13, MFR began classifying the system as a tropical depression,
and following further intensification, the agency upgraded the depression to Moderate Tropical Storm Edmea later that day. With a ridge to the southeast, the storm tracked generally to the southwest. Its initial strengthening rate slowed until Edmea reached peak winds of on January 17. An approaching trough turned the storm to the south away from any landmasses, and also increased shear which caused weakening. Turning to the southeast on January 18, Edmea became
extratropical
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
the following day and was later absorbed by the trough.
Tropical Cyclone Pearl–Farah
On January 11, a tropical low formed northwest of
Broome, Western Australia
Broome, also known as Rubibi by the Yawuru, Yawuru people, is a coastal Pearl hunting, pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley (Western Australia), Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The town recorded a population of 14,6 ...
. It was named Pearl a few hours later by the
Bureau of Meteorology
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Government of Australia, Australian Government that is responsible for providing Weather forecasting, weather forecasts and Meteorology, meteorological services to Australia a ...
.
The cyclone continued westward and reached a peak intensity of .
As the system moved west of 90°E, MFR took over warning responsibility on January 18 and renamed the cyclone Farah.
At that time, MFR estimated winds of about .
After having moved westward due to a ridge to the south, Farah turned to the south upon entering the basin due to an approaching trough, which previously absorbed Edmea. High wind shear caused rapid weakening, and by January 19, there was little remaining convection. The next day, Farah weakened to tropical depression status and turned to the southeast. The ridge built behind the trough, causing the depression to stall and drift northward, and by February 22, Farah dissipated.
Intense Tropical Cyclone Geralda
Cyclone Geralda originated from an area of low pressure from the monsoon trough on January 25. Over the following few days, the depression underwent gradual intensification, and MFR estimated peak winds of on January 31. Cyclone Geralda made landfall near
Toamasina
Toamasina (), meaning "like salt" or "salty", unofficially and in French language, French Tamatave or in the past as Port aux prunes, is the capital of the Atsinanana region on the east coast of Madagascar on the Indian Ocean. The city is the chief ...
, Madagascar after weakening from its peak intensity. Within hours of moving onshore, the system had substantially weakened, and by February 5, Geralda had degenerated into a
land depression. After briefly emerging into the Mozambique Channel, Geralda crossed southern Madagascar, and it became extratropical on February 8.
Geralda was the strongest of the season and the strongest to hit Madagascar since a
cyclone in March 1927.
Geralda was the second cyclone in as many months to strike eastern Madagascar, after Daisy in January.
Geralda produced wind gusts as strong as , which were the highest worldwide for several decades.
The cyclone also dropped heavy rainfall that caused flooding, particularly in valleys.
About 80% of the city of Toamasina was destroyed, including most schools, homes, and churches. The cyclone heavily damaged roads and rail lines, which later disrupted relief efforts.
In the capital
Antananarivo
Antananarivo (Malagasy language, Malagasy: ; French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known ...
, Geralda killed 43 people after flooding many houses.
Overall, more than 40,000 homes were destroyed, leaving 356,000 people homeless.
Nationwide, the cyclone killed 231 people and caused over $10 million in damage.
Relief work in the storm's aftermath was hampered by lack of coordination, and the Malagasy military were deployed to help storm victims. Few stocks were pre-positioned, causing food prices to rise greatly. Several countries and departments of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
donated money or supplies to the country.
Tropical Cyclone Hollanda
The monsoon trough remained active, spawning a tropical depression on February 6 south of the Chagos archipelago. The system moved generally southwestward for much of its duration, steered by a ridge to the south. On February 8, the depression intensified into Moderate Tropical Storm Hollanda, and the next day became a tropical cyclone, developing a small eye.
On February 10, the cyclone attained peak winds of , as assessed by MFR, and that day Hollanda struck the island of Mauritius at that intensity. Subsequently, the cyclone weakened while turning more to the south. A trough turned Hollanda to the east on February 13, and the next day the storm became extratropical.
While moving across the island, Hollanda produced wind gusts of in the capital city of
Port Louis
Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is admi ...
, while heavy rainfall reached in
Mare aux Vacoas
Mare aux Vacoas is the largest reservoir in Mauritius. It is located in Plaines Wilhems, in the southwest of the island, to the south of the town of Curepipe. It has a capacity of and provides water to the upper Plaines Wilhems and to Moka
Moka ...
.
The cyclone destroyed or severely damaged 450 houses, which left at least 1,500 people homeless.
High winds downed about 30% of the island's trees and left half of the island without power.
Hollanda also caused severe crop damage; nearly half of the island's sugar crop was destroyed, which necessitated for the government to assist in replanting efforts.
Hollanda killed two people and caused $135 million in damage on Mauritius.
The highest rainfall from the cyclone fell on Réunion, with recorded at
Grand Coude. On that island, there was also damage to crops and power lines.
Tropical Cyclone Ivy
The origins of Cyclone Ivy were from a disturbance that the JTWC began tracking on February 6 in the Australian basin. The next day, the disturbance crossed into the south-west Indian Ocean, and on February 8, MFR began tracking it.
A ridge to the south imparted a general westward movement. With the convection gradually organizing, MFR upgraded the system to a tropical depression on February 9 and later to Moderate Tropical Storm Ivy the next day. A trough associated with the stronger Cyclone Hollanda turned the storm to the southwest.
Although the JTWC upgraded Ivy to the equivalent of a minimal hurricane on February 12, MFR estimated the storm weakened slightly,
due to wind shear obscuring the center. By the following day, convection reorganized and the storm re-strengthened, first to severe tropical storm status on February 15 and then to tropical cyclone status the next day. Around that time, Ivy approached within of
Rodrigues
Rodrigues ( ; Mauritian Creole, Creole: ) is a Autonomous administrative division, autonomous Outer islands of Mauritius, outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Isl ...
, where gusts reached ,
and there was some damage.
After passing near Rodrigues, Ivy strengthened further, developing a well-defined eye in diameter, while turning more to the south due to a trough associated with the remnants of Hollanda.
The JTWC estimated peak winds of on February 17, around the same time MFR estimated peak winds of .
The strengthening ridge caused Ivy to slow its motion to the southwest while increased shear caused weakening.
On February 18, the cyclone weakened to tropical storm status, and by the next day was downgraded to tropical depression status. On February 20, Ivy became extratropical, which dissipated the subsequent day.
Tropical Depression Julita
In the middle of February, the monsoon trough persisted over the Mozambique Channel and spawned a circulation on February 15 to the west of
Juan de Nova Island
Juan de Nova Island (, ), Malagasy: ''Nosy Kely'') is a French-controlled tropical island in the narrowest part of the Mozambique Channel, about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique. It is a low, flat island, in size.
Admi ...
. Thunderstorms increased around the circulation,
and later that day, MFR began tracking the system as a tropical depression.
Despite warm air temperatures, the system did not develop a
warm core
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
like most tropical cyclones as it moved to the southeast. On February 16, the storm passed about south of Juan de Nova Island, producing gusts of .
The next day, MFR estimated peak winds of about ;
despite that the system did not intensify into a moderate tropical storm, the Meteorological Service of Madagascar named the depression Julita on February 17. It weakened as its structure deteriorated, and Julita moved ashore in western Madagascar near
Morondava
Morondava (, from "long coast") is a city located in Menabe Region, of which it is the capital, in Madagascar. It is located in the delta of the Morondava River at . Its population as of the 2018 census, was 53,510.
Population
The predominant ...
early on February 18. It dissipated shortly thereafter.
Julita affected areas impacted by earlier cyclones Daisy and Geralda, but caused minimal damage and no deaths.
Moderate Tropical Storm Kelvina
The Intertropical Convergence Zone spawned an area of convection on March 5 off the northeast coast of Madagascar,
which was classified by both JTWC and MFR that day.
A large anticyclone to the east caused the system to track generally to the south, and initially wind shear prevented significant strengthening. On March 6, the Meteorological Service of Madagascar named the system Kelvina,
although the depression did not intensify into a moderate tropical storm until the next day.
At around that time, the convection became better organized, extending away from the center to the east.
On March 8, MFR estimated peak winds of about ,
although further strengthening was prevented by an increase in wind shear. On March 10, Kelvina passed near Reunion, where it dropped heavy rainfall. The next day, the storm became extratropical, which continued south for several days, eventually degenerating into a trough that influenced the tracks of subsequent tropical cyclones.
Intense Tropical Cyclone Litanne
In late February, a low-pressure area developed near the
Cocos Islands
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (), officially the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (; ), are an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean, comprising a small archipelago approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka and rel ...
,
associated with the
monsoon trough
The monsoon trough is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and northern hemispheres. It is a portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the Western Pacific,Bin WangThe Asian Monsoon.Retrieved 2008-05-03. and is dep ...
. After initially moving eastward, a ridge turned it to the west,
and on March 7, the system crossed 90° E into the south-west Indian Ocean as a developing tropical depression. The next day, MFR upgraded it to Tropical Storm Litanne. For much of its track, Litanne moved generally to the west-southwest, to the north of a large ridge. The storm quickly intensified, developing an eye feature within its central dense overcast by late on March 8. Late on March 9, MFR upgraded Litanne to a tropical cyclone, after the storm developed a small, well-defined eye in diameter.
With warm
sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...
s, Litanne intensified into an intense tropical cyclone by late on March 10, although it subsequently weakened slightly. The cyclone turned to the southwest due to a trough from the remnants of Kelvina. Around 2000 UTC on March 12, Litanne passed near St. Brandon, and the next day the cyclone passed about north of Réunion island. At the time, the storm's eye was wide, and the wind radius was about wide. The islands reported high surf but little effects. Subsequently, the storm turned more to the west, and Litanne restrengthened into an intense tropical cyclone while approaching the eastern coastline of Madagascar.
MFR estimated peak winds of on March 14.
Weakening slightly after peaking in intensity, Cyclone Litanne continued to the west, making landfall near Brickaville in east-central Madagascar at 1600 UTC on March 15. This occurred months after cyclones Daisy and Geralda affected the same general area.
Four hours before landfall, the storm had peak winds of .
A strengthening trough turned Litanne southward over the eastern portion of the country, and the storm dropped heavy rainfall.
Flooding was limited, although high winds severely damaged the rice crop.
Increasing wind shear removed the convection, causing quick weakening. On March 17, Litanne emerged from southeastern Madagascar into the Indian Ocean as a tropical depression,
and the next day transitioned into an extratropical cyclone after being absorbed by a nearby trough. Five days later after accelerating to the southeast, the storm dissipated about south of where it first developed.
Severe Tropical Storm Mariola
The monsoon trough persisted east of the Cocos Islands in early March in the Australian basin, spawning the earlier Cyclone Litanne and the system that would eventually become Mariola. An area of convection developed on March 5, and gradually organized with favorable upper-level winds.
The JTWC began tracking it on March 7, and MFR followed suit the next day,
when the system was located about east of Litanne. On March 10, the MFR estimated the system became a tropical depression once it developed a central dense overcast,
and that night the system crossed into the basin as a moderate tropical storm, making it one of three concurrent storms, along with Kelvina and Litanne. With the ridge to the south, the storm tracked generally westward for much of its duration. After MFR named the storm Mariola early on March 11, steady strengthening continued. On March 12, a small eye feature developed, indicating the storm was near tropical cyclone intensity.
MFR estimated peak winds of , and JTWC estimated peak winds of .
Due to Litanne crossing the same path three days earlier, Mariola was unable to intensify further. It began weakening shortly after peak intensity, and the structure gradually deteriorated. The storm turned slightly to the south-west due to the remnants of Kelvina disrupting the ridge, although a west motion resumed after the ridge restrengthened. Cooler and drier air weakened the convection, and Mariola weakened below tropical storm status on March 18. The next day, the depression dissipated north of Reunion.
Intense Tropical Cyclone Nadia
Cyclone Nadia formed on March 16 and moved westward for the first ten days of its duration, due to a ridge to the south. Warm waters and low wind shear allowed for the storm to gradually strengthen, first into a moderate tropical storm on March 19 and later into a tropical cyclone on March 21. After developing a well-defined eye, Nadia intensified to reach winds of early on March 22, according to MFR.
The JTWC estimated winds of about .
On March 23, the cyclone struck northern Madagascar, causing flooding and localized damage where it moved ashore.
There were 12 deaths in the country.
Nadia emerged into the
Mozambique Channel
The Mozambique Channel (, , ) is an arm of the Indian Ocean located between the Southeast African countries of Madagascar and Mozambique. The channel is about long and across at its narrowest point, and reaches a depth of about off the coa ...
as a weakened storm, although it reintensified slightly before making
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
in northeastern Mozambique on March 24. The storm turned southward through the country, emerging over water on March 26. It turned to the northeast and meandered over waters before dissipating on April 1.
Damage was heaviest in Mozambique, estimated at $20 million.
Cyclone Nadia severely affected four provinces in the country, primarily
Nampula Province
Nampula is a Provinces of Mozambique, province of northern Mozambique. It has an area of and a population of 5,758,920, making it the most populous province in Mozambique (2017 census). Nampula is the capital of the province.
History
Under Port ...
where it moved ashore. There, 85% of the houses were destroyed, and across its path, the cyclone left 1.5 million people homeless. High winds caused widespread power outages, left areas without water, and significantly damaged crops, notably the cashew crop.
The storm struck before the harvest, and lack of food caused 300 deaths in the months after the storm.
Across Mozambique, Nadia directly caused 240 deaths and injured thousands.
Effects spread as far inland as
Malawi
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
.
Intense Tropical Cyclone Odille
Around March 26, an area of disturbed weather persisted just east of 90° E,
associated with a low-pressure area.
That day, the JTWC began tracking the system.
Located north of an anticyclone, the system tracked slowly to the south before curving to the west. On March 30, it became a tropical depression,
and that day crossed into the basin.
The next day, the depression was named Odille after it intensified further.
With low wind shear, the storm steadily intensified as it moved to the west,
reaching severe tropical cyclone status on April 2 after an eye feature developed.
The JTWC estimated winds of on April 3, equivalent to a strong Category 1 hurricane,
although subsequently Odille weakened after turning to the northwest and experiencing increased wind shear. By April 6, the system had weakened to a tropical disturbance with a poorly defined center,
which was dislocated from the remainder of the convection.
On April 4, Odille began redeveloping convection and re-intensified into a moderate tropical storm, after entering an area of more favorable conditions. Around that time, it began moving to the southwest due to a break between the ridge. On April 10, Odille intensified into a tropical cyclone while moving slowly around a ridge. The next day, it intensified into an intense tropical cyclone while passing near St. Brandon and turning to the southeast due to an approaching trough. Odille developed a well-defined eye in diameter, and MFR estimated peak winds of ,
while the JTWC estimated winds of .
On April 12, the cyclone passed about 150 km (95 mi) west of Rodrigues, where wind gusts reached at
Port Mathurin
The village of Port Mathurin () serves as the capital of the island of Rodrigues, a dependency of Mauritius. Most of the population of Rodrigues is settled close to or in the city. It lies on the north coast of the Indian Ocean island and functi ...
. Steady weakening occurred as Odille accelerated and experienced increasing shear, weakening below tropical cyclone status on April 13. The next day, the storm became extratropical, which lasted three more days until it was absorbed by the cold front.
Season effects
This table lists all the cyclones that developed in the Indian Ocean, during the 1993–94 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season. It includes their intensity, duration, name, landfalls, deaths, and damages.
, -
, , , November 9–14 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , , , , , , ,
, -
, , , November 25 – December 2 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , , , , , , ,
, -
, , , December 12–21 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Mauritius, Reunion , , , , , ,
, -
, , , January 7 – January 16 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 935 hPa (27.61 inHg) , , St. Brandon, Madagascar , , , , , ,
, -
, , , January 13 – January 19 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 976 hPa (28.82 inHg) , , , , , , , ,
, -
, , , January 18 (entered basin) – January 21 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 960 hPa (28.35 inHg) , , , , , , , ,
, -
, , , January 26 – February 8 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 905 hPa (26.72 inHg) , , Madagascar , , $10 million , , 231 , ,
, -
, , , February 6 – February 14 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) , , Mauritius, Reunion , , $135 million , , 2 , ,
, -
, , , February 8 – February 20 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 950 hPa (28.05 inHg) , , Rodrigues , , , , , ,
, -
, , , February 15 – February 18 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 995 hPa (29.38 inHg) , , Madagascar , , , , , ,
, -
, , , March 5 – March 11 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 985 hPa (29.09 inHg) , , , , , , , ,
, -
, , , March 7 – March 19 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 910 hPa (26.87 inHg) , , St. Brandon, Madagascar , , , , , ,
, -
, , , March 10 – March 19 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 966 hPa (28.53 inHg) , , , , , , , ,
, -
, , , March 16 – April 1 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) , , Madagascar, Comoros, Mayotte, Mozambique, Malawi , , $20.2 million , , 252 , ,
, -
, , , March 29 – April 14 , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) , , St. Brandon, Rodrigues , , , , , ,
, -
See also
* Atlantic hurricane seasons:
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
,
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
* Pacific hurricane seasons:
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
,
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
* Pacific typhoon seasons:
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
,
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
* North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons:
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
,
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1993-94 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons
Articles which contain graphical timelines