The 1999–2000 South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season was the first on record in which two storms – Leon–Eline and Hudah – struck

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

at tropical cyclone intensity, or with

maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. Unl ...

s of at least . The most notable storm of the season was Eline, which was the third longest-lasting storm on record in the basin. It lasted for 29 days while traversing the southern Indian Ocean, making the strongest landfall in decades along eastern

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

in late February. The storm was the first in a series of three storms that struck the country in early 2000, along with Gloria in March and Hudah in April. Collectively, the three storms killed at least 316 people. The season started on November 1, 1999, and ended for most of the basin on April 30, 2000; for

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

and the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

, the season continued until May 15. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the basin. Despite the destructive nature of the season, it began later than usual. Cyclone Astride originated toward the end of December, bringing rainfall and gusty winds to northern Madagascar while in the region. In January, Cyclones Babiola and

Connie Connie is a given name. It is often a pet form (hypocorism) of Concetta, Constance, Cornelia, or Cornelius. Given name or nickname Women * Connie Achurra, Chilean chef * Connie Binsfeld (1924–2014), American politician * Connie Booth ...

both formed east of Madagascar and took southerly tracks. Connie passed near Réunion island, producing of rainfall in the mountainous peaks and killing two people. Eline, the longest lasting storm of the season, struck Mozambique while the country was experiencing its worst flooding in 50 years, collectively causing around 700 deaths and about $500 million in damage. The storm also killed 12 people in Zimbabwe and 21 in South Africa. Just two weeks after Eline struck Madagascar, Tropical Storm Gloria affected the same general region, bringing additional deaths and damage. Cyclone Hudah in April was the strongest storm of the season, reaching peak 10‑minute winds of . It caused three deaths in Mozambique, although its effects were worse in Madagascar, where there were 111 deaths. The final storm of the season was Tropical Storm Innocente, which dissipated on April 24. In addition to the named storms, there were four unnamed tropical disturbances or storms, as well as one

subtropical cyclone A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of both tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were uncertain whether they should be characterized as tropical or extratropical cyclon ...

that formed in the southern

Mozambique Channel The Mozambique Channel (french: Canal du Mozambique, mg, Lakandranon'i Mozambika, pt, Canal de Moçambique) is an arm of the Indian Ocean located between the Southeast African countries of Madagascar and Mozambique. The channel is about lon ...

. __TOC__

Season summary

ImageSize = width:800 height:200 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/12/1999 till:01/06/2000 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/12/1999 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:DT value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:Tropical_Disturbance_<_50_km/h_(_<_31_mph) id:TD value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:Tropical_Depression_=_51–62_km/h_(32–38_mph) id:MS value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:Moderate_tropical_Storm_=_63–88_km/h_(39–54_mph) id:SS value:rgb(0.80,1,1) legend:Severe_Tropical_Storm_=_89–117_km/h_(55–73_mph) id:TC value:rgb(1,1,0.80) legend:Tropical_Cyclone_=_118–165_km/h_(74–102_mph) id:IT value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Intense_=_166–212_km/h_(103–132_mph) id:VI value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Very_Intense_>_212_km/h_(_>_132_mph) Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:23/12/1999 till:03/01/2000 color:SS text:"Astride (STS)" from:03/01/2000 till:12/01/2000 color:TC text:"Babiola (TC)" from:12/01/2000 till:24/01/2000 color:DT text:"03 (TDi)" from:25/01/2000 till:01/02/2000 color:IT text:" Connie (ITC)" from:30/01/2000 till:07/02/2000 color:MS text:"Damienne (MTS)" from:08/02/2000 till:01/03/2000 color:IT text:" Eline (ITC)" from:18/02/2000 till:24/02/2000 color:SS text:"Felicia (STS)" barset:break from:27/02/2000 till:10/03/2000 color:SS text:" Gloria (STS)" from:01/03/2000 till:11/03/2000 color:TD text:"09 (TDe)" from:02/03/2000 till:03/03/2000 color:DT text:"10 (TDi)" from:12/03/2000 till:13/03/2000 color:DT text:"11 (TDi)" from:25/03/2000 till:09/04/2000 color:VI text:" Hudah (VITC)" from:07/04/2000 till:15/04/2000 color:TD text:"13 (SD)" from:11/04/2000 till:24/04/2000 color:MS text:"Innocente (MTS)" bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/12/1999 till:01/01/2000 text:December from:01/01/2000 till:01/02/2000 text:January from:01/02/2000 till:01/03/2000 text:February from:01/03/2000 till:01/04/2000 text:March from:01/04/2000 till:01/05/2000 text:April from:01/05/2000 till:01/06/2000 text:May

The Météo-France office (MFR) on Réunion island issued warnings in tropical cyclones within the basin during the season. The agency estimated intensity through the

Dvorak technique The Dvorak technique (developed between 1969 and 1984 by Vernon Dvorak) is a widely used system to estimate tropical cyclone intensity (which includes tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane/typhoon/intense tropical cyclone intensitie ...

, which utilized the continuous satellite imagery in the basin since May 1998. Wind estimates were sustained over 10 minutes, to be converted to 1‑minute winds by dividing by 0.88, as compared to a divisor of 0.80 in previous years. Warnings on tropical cyclones in the region were from the coast of Africa to 90° E, south of the equator. 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 ...

– a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force – also issued tropical cyclone warnings for the region. Beginning this season, the MFR changed their method for labeling tropical disturbances, classifying them sequentially by number. In previous years, the agency labeled disturbances by letter and number of the subsequent unnamed storm. The season began later than usual, the third consecutive one to do so. There were no indications of

tropical cyclogenesis Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropical cyclogenesis occurs are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occurs. Tr ...

before the middle of December, putting the season among the latest 20% since 1967 in terms of seasons' first storms. On December 26, the MFR utilized the QuikSCAT satellite for the first time in the basin to assess a storm's intensity. During the season, 14 tropical disturbances formed, which is near average, and they tended to last longer than normal. Eleven of these disturbances became tropical depressions, of which nine attained

gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).named. In addition, four storms reached tropical cyclone intensity, or 10‑minute sustained winds of . The 9 named storms and 4 tropical cyclones is also the basin average for each category in a given year. There were 61 days in which a storm was active, greater than the median of 48 and more than double than the previous season. In general, storms formed south of 10° S, with the exception of the first storm Astride, and most storms generally tracked east to west due to a strong ridge east of Madagascar.

Systems

Severe Tropical Storm Astride

On December 23, a circulation with accompanying

convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the conve ...

became evident about southeast of

Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, a disputed overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of the 60 small islands of ...

, becoming a tropical disturbance. While moving to the south, the thunderstorms organized more, aided by low

wind shear Wind shear (or 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 or horizont ...

, good outflow, warm waters, and its position beneath an

anticyclone An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined as a large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from ...

. Curving west-southwestward due to a ridge to the south, the system intensified into a tropical depression and later Tropical Storm Astride on December 25. That day, the JTWC classified the system as Tropical Cyclone 03S. The storm developed a large area of convection, prompting the MFR to upgrade it to a severe tropical storm on December 26, estimating 10‑minute winds of . On December 27, the JTWC upgraded Astride to the equivalent of a minimal hurricane due to the appearance of an eye feature, estimating 1‑minute winds of . Later that day, the storm weakened unexpectedly, perhaps related to wind shear from a trough to the south. The convection deteriorated markedly, and the weakening storm turned more to the west-northwest on December 29 due to a weaker ridge. Convection reorganized slightly, although it was dislocated from the center. Early on December 30, the storm passed about northeast of

Tromelin Island Tromelin Island (; french: Île Tromelin, ) is a low, flat island in the Indian Ocean about north of Réunion and about east of Madagascar. Tromelin is administered as part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, a French Overseas Te ...

. Curving back to the west, Astride struck northeastern Madagascar between

Vohemar Vohemar ( mg, Vohimarina or ''Iharan̈a'' ) is a coastal city and commune ( mg, firaisana) in northern Madagascar. It belongs to the Districts of Madagascar, district of Vohemar District, Iharana, which is a part of Sava Region. The population ...

and

Antsiranana Antsiranana ( mg, Antsiran̈ana ), named Diego-Suárez prior to 1975, is a city in the far north of Madagascar. Antsiranana is the capital of Diana Region. It had an estimated population of 115,015 in 2013. History The bay and city originally u ...

on December 31 as a minimal tropical storm. It emerged into the Mozambique Channel as a tropical depression, and despite forecasts to the contrary, it reintensified into a tropical storm before passing near

Mayotte Mayotte (; french: Mayotte, ; Shimaore: ''Maore'', ; Kibushi: ''Maori'', ), officially the Department of Mayotte (french: Département de Mayotte), is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is loca ...

on January 2. Early the next day, Astride weakened back to tropical depression status before moving ashore eastern Mozambique near

Pemba Pemba may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places * Pemba Island, in Tanzania * Pemba, Mozambique Pemba is a port city and district in Mozambique. It is the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado and lies on a peninsula in Pemba Bay. The town was found ...

, dissipating soon after. On Tromelin, Astride brought strong winds, including 10‑minute sustained winds of and gusts to . No damage was reported in Madagascar during the storm's passage there. When Astride passed just south of Mayotte, it brought gusts to , strong enough to knock over some banana trees and to destroy a stone house. The storm also dropped of rainfall over 24 hours, including in one hour. Heavy rainfall accompanied Astride's final landfall, penetrating as far inland as

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...

Tropical Cyclone Babiola

Toward the beginning of January, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) remained active across much of the basin, with

low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...

and widespread thunderstorms. One such area persisted southeast of Diego Garcia and organized sufficiently to be classified as a tropical disturbance on January 3. That day, the JTWC issued the first of three

Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) is a bulletin released by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii or the Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, Virginia, warning of the possibility of a tropical cyclone formin ...

s, noting the increase in convection. The system moved to the northeast along the southeastern edge of a ridge near the equator, but turned back to the southwest on January 5. That day, convection increased over the center, after having previously been dislocated due to wind shear. Late on January 5, the JTWC initiated advisories on Tropical Cyclone 02S, and on the next day, the MFR upgraded the system to Tropical Storm Babiola. The storm accelerated to the southwest and continued to intensity. An irregular eye formed on January 8, prompting the MFR to upgrade Babiola to tropical cyclone status. The outflow and the eye became more pronounced after further strengthening, and the cyclone attained peak 10‑minute winds of on January 9. The JTWC, by contrast, estimated peak 1‑minute winds of . Around the time of peak intensity, Babiola began turning more to the south due to an approaching trough. Late on January 9, the cyclone passed about east of Rodrigues. Increased shear weakened the eyewall and convection, and Babiola weakened below cyclone status on January 11. Early the next day, the JTWC discontinued advisories as the storm was beginning to become

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 MFR followed suit later on January 12, although the agency continued to track Babiola. The storm shifted south-southwestward on January 13 before resuming its southeast trajectory, influenced by a ridge to the south. On January 14, the remnants of Babiola passed just west of

Île Amsterdam Île Amsterdam (), also known as Amsterdam Island and New Amsterdam (''Nouvelle-Amsterdam''), is an island of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands in the southern Indian Ocean that together with neighbouring Île Saint-Paul to the south f ...

, where gusts reached . Later that day, the storm merged with the trough that had originally turned it to the southeast.

Intense Tropical Cyclone Connie

An area of thunderstorms formed on January 22 east of the northern tip of Madagascar, organizing into a tropical disturbance three days later. By late on January 25, the MFR upgraded the system to Tropical Storm Connie, and on the same day the JTWC initiated advisories on the storm as Tropical Cyclone 08S. With favorable conditions, Connie gradually organized while initially stationary, later beginning a steady southeast motion on January 26. The JTWC upgraded the storm to the equivalent of a minimal hurricane on January 27, around the same time that the MFR upgraded Connie to tropical cyclone status. The storm's eye became well-defined as the winds increased, and the MFR estimated peak 10‑minute winds of on January 28; on the same day, the JTWC estimated peak 1‑minute winds of . Increased shear weakened the storm as it curved southwestward, and late on January 29 Connie passed about northwest of Réunion. The storm turned to the southeast again and became extratropical on February 1, dissipating the next day. While passing northwest of Mauritius, the outer fringes of Connie brought heavy rains peaking at over the span of six days, or equivalent to a month's worth of precipitation. These rains helped relieve extreme drought conditions. The storm also produced gusts of , and one person died after falling off his roof. The storm also brought heavy rainfall to Réunion, totaling , of which occurred in over 24 hours. Wind gusts there reached in Peite France. Many roads across the island were damaged, and about 40,000 people lost power, while more than 100 homes were destroyed. Two persons were killed, and 600 people were left homeless. Although the agriculture sector suffered the most significant damages, overall damage was minor.

Moderate Tropical Storm Damienne

The same

monsoon trough The monsoon trough is a portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the Western Pacific,Bin WangThe Asian Monsoon.Retrieved 2008-05-03. as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, ...

that spawned Connie also produced an area of convection southeast of Diego Garcia on January 28. The circulation slowly organized, and the MFR classified it as a tropical disturbance on January 30. A nearby trough steered the system southeastward initially and later to the southwest. On January 31, the system became a tropical depression, and later Moderate Tropical Storm Damienne the next day, reaching peak winds of . Also on February 1, the JTWC initiated warnings on Tropical Cyclone 10S, which estimated 1‑minute winds of . Increased wind shear removed the convection on February 2, causing marked weakening, and prompting the JTWC to discontinue advisories that day. This was despite forecasts of strengthening to near tropical cyclone status. As a weak tropical disturbance, Damienne turned to a rapid westward motion, passing north of Rodrigues and Tromelin. The circulation dissipated on February 7 off the northeast coast of Madagascar.

Intense Tropical Cyclone Leon–Eline

On February 1, a

low-pressure area In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...

formed within the

to the south of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, which would eventually become Tropical Cyclone Leon in the Australian basin, as well as Tropical Cyclone 11S according to JTWC. The storm tracked westward across much of the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

, fluctuating in strength due to changes in the atmosphere. After crossing 90° E, the MFR began tracking the system as Tropical Storm Eline on February 8. The storm continued westward across the Indian Ocean and intensified greatly as it approached the east coast of

. Late on February 17, Eline 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

Mahanoro Mahanoro'' is a rural municipality located in the Atsinanana region of eastern Madagascar, along the coast. It is located 9 km north of the mouth of the Mangoro River.Moriarity, H.A.Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean p. 126-28 (1891) (his ...

with 10‑minute winds of , making it the strongest storm to hit the country in several decades. The storm rapidly weakened over land, but restrengthened in the Mozambique Channel to reach peak 10‑minute winds of . On February 22, Eline made landfall about south of Beira, Mozambique near peak intensity and quickly weakened over land. The well-defined circulation moved across southern African, finally dissipating over eastern

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

on February 29. Throughout its duration, Leon–Eline lasted 29 days, a record longevity for a storm in the south-west Indian Ocean. The track was over , or about 25% of the Earth's circumference. Eline struck while Madagascar was in the midst of a cholera epidemic that had killed over 1,000 people. The storm directly killed at least 64 people in Madagascar, although Tropical Storm Gloria struck shortly thereafter, compounding upon the damage and making it difficult to discern the individual damage totals. Damage from Eline was estimated at US$9 million. Collectively the two storms killed 205 people in the country, destroyed about half of the rice harvest, and left 10,000 homeless. In the region around

Vatomandry Vatomandry is a town in and the administrative center of the Vatomandry District, Atsinanana Region, Madagascar.(29 March 2006)MADAGASCAR: Maintaining the roads to prosperity '' IRIN'' An airport serves the city. Etymology and location Located o ...

, where Eline made landfall, 65% of houses were damaged, 90% of crops were lost, and 75% of health facilities were wrecked. Before Eline struck Mozambique, the worst floods since 1951 had affected the nation since January, killing about 150 people. The additional rainfall and flooding from Eline created the country's worst natural disaster in a century. The combined effects destroyed over of crop fields and killed 40,000 cattle. Eline's passage disrupted ongoing relief efforts, with the port in Beira blocked for two weeks due to five sunken ships. High levels along the

Limpopo River The Limpopo River rises in South Africa and flows generally eastward through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers led by Hosi Rivombo who settled in the mountain ...

isolated the town of

Xai-Xai Xai-Xai () is a city in the south of Mozambique. Until 1975, the city was named João Belo. It is the capital of Gaza Province. As of 2007 it has a population of 116,343. History Portuguese rule Xai-Xai, formerly João Belo, developed in the e ...

, with water levels along the river reaching as high as above normal in some areas, as well as wide. A dam broke along the river, flooding the town of Chokwe in the middle of the night and trapping several unprepared residents. About 55 people drowned in

Sofala Province Sofala is a province of Mozambique. It has a population of 2,259,248 (2017 census). Beira is the capital of the province, named for the ruined port of Sofala which is to the south. History Portuguese landholder and imperialist Joaquim Carl ...

after rescue helicopters arrived too late to save them. Around 20,000 people in the capital city of Maputo lost their homes. In addition to the floods, strong winds blew away many roofs and some entire houses made of mud. The combined effects of the preceding floods and Eline left about 300,000 people homeless, about 700 deaths, and damage estimated at $500 million (2000 USD). The cyclone and the floods disrupted much of the economic progress Mozambique had made in the 1990s since the end of its

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Elsewhere in southern Africa, Eline brought strong winds and heavy rainfall when it crossed into eastern Zimbabwe, due to maintaining a well-defined structure. Rivers overflowed their banks in the country, damaging crops and houses while leaving 15,000 people homeless. The storm killed 12 people in the country. Flooding from the storm extended southward into Swaziland and South Africa. In the latter country, Eline dropped of rainfall in

Levubu Levubu is a village in the Makhado Local Municipality, part of the Vhembe District Municipality of Limpopo province, South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is ...

over three days, causing the Limpopo River to reach its highest level in 15 years. Officials opened dams along the Limpopo River to prevent structural damage, which caused higher levels along the river to the east. At least 21 people died in the country, and about 80,000 people were left homeless, forcing many people into churches and schools. Damage in Limpopo Province alone was estimated at $300 million (USD). To the north, Eline dropped about of rainfall in southern

, while gusty winds caused a power outage in

Blantyre Blantyre () is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with an enumerated 800,264 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, L ...

. Farther west, rainfall rates of were also reported in Botswana.

Severe Tropical Storm Felicia

While Eline was making landfall on Madagascar, another area of convection formed to its east on February 17 within the ITCZ. Its structure was similar to a monsoon depression, due to a large circulation with weak winds near the center. However, it was organized enough to be classified as a tropical disturbance on February 18 to the southeast of Diego Garcia. It moved southeastward with increasing convection, prompting the Mauritius Meteorological Service to name it Felicia while still as a tropical depression on February 20. The convection however remained disorganized, and there were several small circulations within the broad gyre. After turning to the southwest due to a nearby trough, Felicia's circulation became more compact, as evidenced by a QuikSCAT pass. Outflow increased as wind shear decreased, and Felicia became a moderate tropical storm on February 21. On the same day, the JTWC initiated advisories on the storm as Tropical Cyclone 12S. Late on February 22, the JTWC upgraded the storm to the equivalent of a minimal hurricane, while the MFR estimated peak 10‑minute winds of . This was based on a wide eye feature that had developed in the storm's center. Around the time of peak intensity, Felicia passed about southeast of Rodrigues. The interaction of the trough and a ridge to the east increased wind shear, causing the storm to weaken. On February 24, the storm became extratropical while still maintaining a well-defined circulation. It slowed and looped back to the northwest due to a ridge to the south, gradually becoming less defined and dissipating on February 26.

Severe Tropical Storm Gloria

On February 27, a circulation formed within the monsoon trough between

and St. Brandon, displaced due to wind shear, but organized enough for the MFR to track it as Tropical Disturbance 8. The shear gradually decreased, allowing the thunderstorms to organize as it moved westward. On February 28, the JTWC classified the system as Tropical Cyclone 15S, and on February 29 the MFR upgraded it to tropical depression status. The depression turned west-northwestward before rounding a ridge and turning to the southwest. The thunderstorms organized into 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 irr ...

on March 1, prompting the MFR to upgrade it to Moderate Tropical Storm Gloria only from the northeast coast of Madagascar. Gloria continued quickly to the southwest, gradually intensifying and developing an eye feature; on that basis, the MFR estimated peak 10‑minute winds of , or severe tropical storm status, by the time it made

north of

Sambava Sambava is a city and commune (commune urbaine; mg, kaominina) at the east coast of northern Madagascar. It is the capital of Sambava District and Sava Region. The population of the commune was 84,039 in as of the 2018 commune census. Infrast ...

. Operationally, the JTWC upgraded Gloria to the equivalent of a minimal hurricane, with 1‑minute winds of , although the agency downgraded the storm to the same peak as the MFR. The structure initially remained well-defined, although the circulation became difficult to locate as it progressed through the country. On March 4, the system exited Madagascar into the

with scattered thunderstorms slowly reforming. On the next day, the JTWC discontinued advisories, although the MFR continued monitoring the system, labeling it as a tropical disturbance on March 8. Later that day, Gloria made landfall near Inhambane in southeastern Mozambique before turning to a southward drift, dissipating on March 10. As a developing disturbance, Gloria produced winds approaching

Antalaha Antalaha is an urban municipality in northern Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Antalaha, which is a part of Sava Region. The population of Antalaha was 67.888 in 2018. Antalaha has a maritime harbour. A local airport serves Antalaha. ...

, about south of Sambava. The storm brought heavy rainfall, with

Mananjary Mananjary is a city located in Vatovavy, Madagascar with a population of 25,222 inhabitants in 2018. It is the chief city of the Mananjary district. It contains a town of the same name, situated on the southern part of the east coast, where the M ...

reporting a two‑day total of . The rains from Gloria occurred less than two weeks after Cyclone Leon–Eline struck the country, bringing additional flooding, landslides, and damage. In Sambava, near where Gloria moved ashore, the storm killed 18 people, destroyed hundreds of homes, and damaged a road connecting the area to the capital of Madagascar,

Antananarivo Antananarivo (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 as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("An ...

. Farther inland, the cyclone killed 40 people at

Andapa Andapa is a town and commune ( mg, firaisana) in northern Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Andapa, which is a part of Sava Region. According to 2001 commune census the population of Andapa was 27,618. Andapa is served by a local airpor ...

. Overall, Gloria killed at least 66 people, although the exact toll was initially unknown due to disrupted communications. Before Gloria emerged into the Mozambique Channel, various news outlets noted the potential for the storm to affect storm-ravaged Mozambique. However, minimal rainfall accompanied Gloria's final landfall. The rains were enough to delay flights for a day, which were transporting relief aid following Eline's devastating landfall in Mozambique.

Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Hudah

A tropical low formed in the Australian basin on March 24, moving westward due to a strong subtropical ridge to the south. Despite having intensified enough, the

Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. It was established in 1906 under the Meteorology Act, and brought together ...

did not name the system, and on March 25 the system crossed into the South-West Indian Ocean, whereupon it was named Hudah. An eye formed, and the storm intensified into a tropical cyclone on March 27 well to the southeast of Diego Garcia. The structure fluctuated due to dry air, although Hudah was able to intensify steadily on March 31 after conditions became more favorable. The next day, the MFR upgraded it to a very intense tropical cyclone, estimating peak 10‑minute winds of . By contrast, the JTWC estimated 1‑minute winds of . Cyclone Hudah maintained peak winds until making landfall just southeast of Antalaha, Madagascar on April 2. It weakened greatly over land, but like Eline it re-intensified over the Mozambique Channel. It re-attained tropical cyclone status on April 5 and reached 10‑minute winds of by the time it made landfall on Mozambique near

Pebane Pebane is a town and transshipment port in Mozambique in the Zambezia Province. The port is in the estuary of the Rio Moniga. Pebane is a transhipment port for copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coco ...

, Mozambique on April 8. It dissipated by the next day. While in the vicinity, Hudah brought moderate winds to Rodrigues, St. Brandon, and Tromelin. The cyclone affected the same parts of Madagascar that were previously impacted by Eline and Gloria. Waves reached at least in height along the coast. The storm was considered the worst to affect the Antalaha region in 20 years, where 90% of homes were destroyed. It was estimated that the storm left at least 100,000 people homeless in Madagascar, and there were 111 deaths. In Mozambique, damage was much less than expected, and the storm affected areas farther north in the country than where Eline struck. Heavy rainfall occurred along the coast, but was insufficient to cause river flooding. Strong winds damaged roofs and downed trees, mostly around Pebane, and the storm killed three people.

Subtropical Depression 13

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 A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of both tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were uncertain whether they should be characterized as tropical or extratropical cyclon ...

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 wind The radius of maximum wind (RMW) is the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds. It is a parameter in atmospheric dynamics and tropical cyclone forecasting. The highest rainfall rates occur near the RMW of tropic ...

s, the coastline was spared from strong gusts, although the system dropped of rainfall in Inhambane over 48 hours. The storm turned toward the east on April 11 away from land. Convection organized thereafter into an eye feature, but was weaker than thunderstorms in typical tropical cyclones, resulting in its subtropical classification. The MFR estimated peak 10‑minute winds of on April 12, noting that the system should have been named, but also that its "structure has had no recent analogue in he basin" Meanwhile, the JTWC issued three Tropical Cyclone Formation Alerts, but never issued advisories. An increase in wind shear deteriorated the eye feature and the convection, promptly causing weakening. On April 15, the circulation dissipated off the southwest coast of Madagascar.

Moderate Tropical Storm Innocente

The final storm of the year had its origins in the Australian basin. An area of convection persisted on April 8 to the southwest of Indonesia, developing a distinct center two days later while moving to the west. However, the thunderstorms were unable to organize due to wind shear. On April 11, the MFR estimated that the system became a tropical disturbance, although since it was east of 90° E the agency did not issue advisories at that time. On the next day, the system crossed into the basin and was classified as Tropical Disturbance 14. Over the next few days, the convection waxed and waned, with the strongest winds in the northern periphery. On April 14, the JTWC began tracking the system as Tropical Cyclone 26S. The disturbance maintained a general west-southwest trajectory, influenced by a ridge to the south. After slowing down and encountering a more favorable environment, the system intensified into Moderate Tropical Storm Innocente on April 17, reaching peak 10‑minute winds of . Operationally, the MFR upgraded Innocente to storm status a day earlier, only to downgrade and re-upgrade; it was maintained as a depression during this time. The return of wind shear again caused weakening, beginning on April 18. A weak circulation persisted for several days, turning to the northwest with brief increases in thunderstorms. On April 24, Innocente dissipated, although the circulation drew moisture from the south to produce heavy rainfall on Mauritius, peaking at around .

Other systems

Throughout the latter half of January, thunderstorms persisted in the Mozambique Channel. On January 12, the MFR classified an area of convection as Tropical Disturbance 3, although the agency ceased issuing advisories on the next day. Convection persisted, with an associated exposed circulation as of January 22. Two days later, the MFR issued one bulletin on the system before dropping advisories. The JTWC tracked the system as an area of potential development until January 26, when the thunderstorms weakened. The disturbance brought heavy rainfall to southwestern Madagascar, which followed a prolonged drought. In

Morombe Morombe is an urban municipality (commune urbaine) on the south-west coast in Atsimo-Andrefana, Madagascar. It can be reached by the National road 55 or pirogue from Morondava. It is situated at 283 km from Tulear. An airport serves the town ...

, rainfall over 36 hours accumulated to the average yearly total. This caused flooding and damage to crops and preceded devastating flooding that affected the nation over the subsequent months. Toward the end of February, the ITCZ produced a large area of convection in the eastern portion of the basin which would spawn two disturbances. On February 29, Tropical Disturbance 9 formed within the system well to the southeast of Diego Garcia. The convection organized slightly despite easterly wind shear, which left the circulation exposed. On March 1, the JTWC classified it as Tropical Cyclone 17S, estimating winds of tropical storm force the next day. The MFR, by contrast, classified it as a tropical depression while moving generally southwestward. The convection weakened on March 3 due to the wind shear, and the circulation steered more to the west-northwest. After nearly dissipating on March 5, the thunderstorms reorganized, possibly due to influence from the monsoon. It turned back to the east, possibly due to

interaction Interaction is action that occurs between two or more objects, with broad use in philosophy and the sciences. It may refer to: Science * Interaction hypothesis, a theory of second language acquisition * Interaction (statistics) * Interactions o ...

with the approaching Cyclone Norman in the Australian basin. Convection soon after diminished over the depression, and the system dissipated on March 11 near 90°E. On March 1, Tropical Disturbance 10 formed within the same system that spawned the previous depression, only farther to the west. It also encountered wind shear, preventing much intensification. The system remained nearly stationary and failed to organize more. The MFR issued its last advisory on March 3. The MFR also issued bulletins on Norman as Tropical Disturbance 11, which briefly entered the basin on March 10 before dissipating.

Storm names

A tropical disturbance is named when it reaches moderate tropical storm strength. If a tropical disturbance reaches moderate tropical storm status west of 55°E, then the Sub-regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centre in

assigns the appropriate name to the storm. If a tropical disturbance reaches moderate tropical storm status between 55°E and 90°E, then the Sub-regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centre in

assigns the appropriate name to the storm. A new annual list is used every year so no names are retired. This was the last season to feature all-female names in the basin.

Season effects

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Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

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Notes

References

External links

Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
.
Météo France (RSMC La Réunion)

* ttp://www.australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/2000/summ1999-2000.htm Gary Padgett's Southern Hemisphere 1999–2000 Tropical Cyclone Season Review {{DEFAULTSORT:1999-00 South-West Indian Ocean Cyclone Season * South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons 2000 SWIO