2021–22 South-West Indian Ocean Cyclone Season
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The 2021–22 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season featured the record latest start for the first system to develop. Despite the late start, it was an above-average season that produced 12 named storms, with 5 becoming tropical cyclones. The season began on 15 November 2021, and ended on 30 April 2022, with the exception 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 incl ...
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, V ...
, for which it ended on 15 May 2022. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical and subtropical cyclones form in the basin, which is west of
90°E The meridian 90° east of Prime Meridian, 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 trop ...
and south of the
Equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...
. However, tropical cyclones that form at any time between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022 will count towards the season total. Tropical and subtropical 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 p ...
in
Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
and unofficially 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 ...
. __TOC__


Seasonal summary

ImageSize = width:1070 height:225 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:370 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/2022 till:01/06/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/01/2022 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:ZD value:rgb(0,0.52,0.84) legend:Zone_of_Disturbed_Weather/Tropical_Disturbance_=_≤31_mph_(≤50_km/h) id:TD value:rgb(0.43,0.76,0.92) legend:Tropical_Depression/Subtropical_Depression_=_32–38_mph_(51–62_km/h) id:TS value:rgb(0.30,1,1) legend:Moderate_Tropical_Storm_=_39–54_mph_(63–88_km/h) id:ST value:rgb(0.75,1,0.75) legend:Severe_Tropical_Storm_=_55–73_mph_(89–118_km/h) id:TC value:rgb(1,0.85,0.55) legend:Tropical_Cyclone_=_74–103_mph_(119–166_km/h) id:IT value:rgb(1,0.45,0.54) legend:Intense_Tropical_Cyclone_=_104–133_mph_(167–214_km/h) id:VI value:rgb(0.55,0.46,0.9) legend:Very_Intense_Tropical_Cyclone_=_≥134_mph_(≥215_km/h) Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:11 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:20/01/2022 till:25/01/2022 color:TS text:" Ana (MTS)" from:24/01/2022 till:24/01/2022 color:ZD text: barset:break barset:skip from:26/01/2022 till:08/02/2022 color:IT text:" Batsirai (ITC)" from:03/02/2022 till:05/02/2022 color:TS text:"Cliff (MTS)" from:10/02/2022 till:18/02/2022 color:TS text:" Dumako (MTS)" from:15/02/2022 till:24/02/2022 color:IT text:" Emnati (ITC)" from:16/02/2022 till:18/02/2022 color:TS text:"Fezile (MTS)" from:26/02/2022 till:03/03/2022 color:IT text:"Vernon (ITC)" from:23/02/2022 till:26/02/2022 color:TD text: barset:break barset:skip barset:skip barset:skip barset:skip barset:skip barset:skip barset:skip from:23/02/2022 till:26/02/2022 color:TS text:"08 (MTS)" barset:break from:05/03/2022 till:13/03/2022 color:IT text: barset:break from:17/03/2022 till:17/03/2022 color:TD text:" Gombe (ITC)" from:20/03/2022 till:01/04/2022 color:IT text:"Halima (ITC)" from:12/04/2022 till:13/04/2022 color:TD text:"Issa (SD)" from:21/04/2022 till:27/04/2022 color:ST text:"Jasmine (STS)" from:05/05/2022 till:07/05/2022 color:TS text:"Karim (MTS)" bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/01/2022 till:31/01/2022 text:January from:01/02/2022 till:28/02/2022 text:February from:01/03/2022 till:31/03/2022 text:March from:01/04/2022 till:30/04/2022 text:April from:01/05/2022 till:31/05/2022 text:May TextData = pos:(775,23) text:"(For further details, please see" pos:(919,23) text:"
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The season's first storm, Moderate Tropical Storm Ana, formed as a zone of disturbed weather on 20 January 2022, marking the latest first system in a Southwest Indian Ocean cyclone season ever. The second, and strongest storm of the season,
Cyclone Batsirai Intense Tropical Cyclone Batsirai was a deadly tropical cyclone which heavily impacted Madagascar in February 2022, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Madagascar since Cyclone Enawo in 2017. It made landfall two weeks after Trop ...
, formed on 24 January, and became a long-lived and powerful storm. It cruised west, and eventually made landfall in
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 ...
as a Category 3-equivalent storm. While Batsirai impacted Madagascar, Moderate Tropical Storm Cliff quickly formed but stayed out to sea. Continuing the active period of development, Tropical Storm Dumako formed, struggling to intensify and making landfall in Madagascar later. Yet another storm,
Cyclone Emnati Intense Tropical Cyclone Emnati was a tropical cyclone that affected Madagascar, only two weeks after Cyclone Batsirai. The sixth tropical disturbance, the second tropical cyclone, and the second intense tropical cyclone of the 2021–22 South-W ...
, would strike extreme southern Madagascar as a Category 1-equivalent after peaking as a Category 4-equivalent beforehand. The third Intense Tropical Cyclone, Cyclone Vernon, passed into the basin as a Category 4-equivalent after very rapidly intensifying in the neighboring Australian region. The fourth Intense Tropical Cyclone, Gombe, formed off the coast of Madagascar on 5 March. Initially, the storm struggled to intensify beyond tropical storm status. After hitting Madagascar, Gombe emerged into the Mozambique Channel and rapidly intensified to a Category 3-equivalent cyclone. It then struck Mozambique, bringing heavy rainfall to the same area which Ana had hit a few weeks ago. After Gombe, Halima formed in the northeast of the basin on 21 March. It gradually intensified to an Intense Tropical Cyclone on 25 March, before dissipating later on 1 April. After, Subtropical Depression Issa formed just off the eastern coast of South Africa, an extremely rare phenomenon. It proved itself to be damaging and very deadly, killing hundreds due to catastrophic flooding. Finally, Jasmine formed near
Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...
on 21 April before the landfall in Nampula and Zambezia province off the coast of Mozambique and rapidly intensified as Severe Tropical Storm. The storm made landfall in
Toliara Toliara (also known as ''Toliary'', ; formerly ''Tuléar'') is a city in Madagascar. It is the capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region, located 936 km southwest of national capital Antananarivo. The current spelling of the name was adopted ...
before it rapidly weakening to an overland depression, and dissipated on 27 April. In early May, Karim formed. Karim did not affect land and entered the Australian region on 7 May.


Systems


Moderate Tropical Storm Ana

At 07:30 UTC on 20 January, 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 ...
began monitoring an area of convection, which they designated as ''Invest 93S'', approximately from
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 incl ...
, with the agency giving a low chance for potential
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. Tropi ...
within the next 24 hours. Early the next day, at 02:00 UTC, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) for Invest 93S, as the agency noted its consolidation of a well-defined low-level circulation (LLC). Later at 12:00 UTC, the MFR declared the tropical low pressure system as a zone of disturbed weather, making it the first system of the season. Twelve hours later, the MFR upgraded it to a tropical disturbance, further upgrading it to a tropical depression by 06:00 UTC on 22 January. Between 08:00 UTC and 09:00 UTC, the system's center crossed between
Toamasina Toamasina (), meaning "like salt" or "salty", unofficially and in French Tamatave, is the capital of the Atsinanana region on the east coast of Madagascar on the Indian Ocean. The city is the chief seaport of the country, situated northeast of it ...
and
Île Sainte-Marie Nosy Boraha , previously 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 popula ...
as a tropical depression, with the MFR re-classifying the system as an overland depression. Following landfall, the system weakened slightly, though its structure remained intact. At 06:00 UTC the next day, the MFR re-classified it again as a tropical disturbance after entering the
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 long ...
. Six hours later, it re-intensified into a tropical depression, as it gradually regained its structure. At 15:00 UTC on 23 January, the JTWC declared the system a tropical cyclone and designated it ''07S''. The MFR later upgraded it to a moderate tropical storm and named it ''Ana'', making it the first named storm of the season. Ana maintained its intensity until at 08:00 UTC the same day, when it made landfall near south of Angoche, Mozambique. The system later moved westwards as an overland depression, crossing across southern
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 northeast ...
and northern
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
, and by midday of 25 January, it became a remnant low over the adjoining areas of Zimbabwe and
Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
. The remnant later moved towards Angola and was last noted on 30 January around
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 ...
and Angola. Despite being a weak system, Ana caused devastating floods in Madagascar, Malawi, and Mozambique, killing 115 people in total. Before becoming a moderate tropical storm, Ana made landfall as a tropical depression in Madagascar, causing heavy rainfall which led to deadly landslides and floods; it caused 58 fatalities in the country. An estimated 55,000 people had become homeless and 130,000 were forced to flee to temporary habitation centres. In Mozambique, at least 20 people had died and 10,000 homes had been destroyed. An additional 20,000 were affected by the cyclone. In Malawi, 200,000 people had been displaced and 37 fatalities had been reported, with additional 22 being missing. Catastrophic flooding caused severe damages to infrastructure and powerlines, which led to severe power outages in the affected areas. The Kapichira hydroelectric dam was badly damaged due to the flash floods. Because of this, the government of Malawi declared a state of natural disaster.


Intense Tropical Cyclone Batsirai

On 23 January, the JTWC noted an area of convection over the eastern part of the basin, located approximately from the
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, and gave a low chance for potential tropical cyclogenesis in the next day, however the same day, the agency issued a TCFA for the system after noting an obscure LLC. At midday on 25 January, the MFR recognized the same low pressure system and later upgraded it to a tropical disturbance at 06:00 UTC the next day, and the next day, a tropical depression, as it continued to improve its convective structure. After its convective activity was briefly interrupted after 18:00 UTC due to dry air, the JTWC recognized the system as a tropical cyclone at 03:00 UTC the next day. Three hours later, the MFR upgraded it to a moderate tropical storm and naming it ''Batsirai''. Between 06:00 UTC and 12:00 UTC, Batsirai underwent
rapid deepening In meteorology, rapid intensification is a situation where a tropical cyclone intensifies dramatically in a short period of time. The United States National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as an increase in the maximum sustained ...
and intensified from a moderate tropical storm to an intense tropical cyclone within three hours, establishing an inner core in diameter. Two hours later, the JTWC upgraded it to a Category 2 tropical cyclone, as it developed a small eye at about in diameter. However, by 18:00 UTC, it started to rapidly weaken after its eye quickly collapsed and the
cloud top Cloud Top () is a 30-story, tall residential twin skyscraper complex located in Xinyi Special District, Taipei, Taiwan. The complex used to be the tallest residential skyscrapers in Taipei when completed in 1997. Built under strict requirement ...
s had warmed, so the MFR downgraded it to a tropical cyclone. At midnight on 28 January, it was further downgraded to a moderate tropical storm, after further weakening of the convective structure. Three hours later, the JTWC downgraded it to a tropical storm. Batsirai resumed its intensification after re-intensifying to a severe tropical storm status at 06:00 UTC the next day. At 03:00 UTC on January 30, the JTWC upgraded it to a Category 2 tropical cyclone after noting a well-defined
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 ...
(CDO) and a microwave eye feature. The MFR further upgraded it to a tropical cyclone status at midday. Three hours later, the JTWC upgraded it to a Category 3 tropical cyclone, as it developed a wide pinhole-eye. However, it was short-lived and it weakened to Category 1 status by 03:00 UTC on 1 February, as its eye collapsed and its eyewall became disorganized. By 15:00 UTC the same day, however, it strengthened back to Category 2 status, consolidating and regaining a visible eye on satellite imagery. Three hours later, the MFR upgraded it to an intense tropical cyclone. By 03:00 UTC on 2 February, it went through another round of rapid intensification, strengthening from a Category 2 to a Category 4 tropical cyclone, according to the JTWC. Its eyewall rapidly organized, developing a wide eye. After reaching its peak at 12:00 UTC, satellite imagery depicted the formation of another eyewall, though it showed signs of weakening by 15:00 UTC, indicating the beginning of an
eyewall replacement cycle In meteorology, eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones, generally with winds greater than , or major hurricanes ( Category 3 or above). When tropical cyclones reach this int ...
. It weakened to a Category 3 system during this time. After completing the
eyewall replacement cycle In meteorology, eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones, generally with winds greater than , or major hurricanes ( Category 3 or above). When tropical cyclones reach this int ...
, the storm again briefly intensified into a Category 4 system, with MFR determining that Batsirai's central
barometric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1013.25 millibars, 7 ...
had rapidly fallen to 934
hPa HPA may refer to: Organizations * Harry Potter Alliance, a charity * Halifax Port Authority, Canada * Hamburg Port Authority, Germany * Hawaii Preparatory Academy, a school in Hawaii, US * Health Protection Agency, UK * Heerespersonalamt, the Ger ...
(
mbar The bar is a metric unit of pressure, but not part of the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as exactly equal to 100,000  Pa (100 kPa), or slightly less than the current average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea leve ...
; 27.58
inHg Inch of mercury (inHg and ″Hg) is a non- SI unit of measurement for pressure. It is used for barometric pressure in weather reports, refrigeration and aviation in the United States. It is the pressure exerted by a column of mercury in heigh ...
). It weakened again to a Category 3 system, though it still maintained its overall convective structure. Gradually weakening due to land interaction with
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 ...
, it made landfall at 17:30 UTC on 5 February close to the city of
Nosy Varika Nosy Varika is a town and commune in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Nosy Varika, which is a part of the region of Vatovavy. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 19787 in 2018. Nosy Varika is served by a loca ...
. MFR declared that Batsirai had degenerated into an overland depression, with the JTWC downgrading it to a tropical storm. The system entered into the
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 long ...
, and the MFR re-upgraded the system to a moderate tropical storm. By 7 February, it weakened into a remnant low before transitioning into a
post-tropical cyclone A post-tropical cyclone is a former tropical cyclone that no longer possesses enough tropical qualities to be considered a tropical cyclone. The word may refer to a former tropical cyclone undergoing extratropical transition or a tropical cyclone ...
. Despite fluctuating convective activity, high wind shear, and low sea surface temperatures, due to baroclinic forces, the MFR upgraded the system to a moderate tropical storm once more. It then underwent subtropical transition according to the JTWC, with the agency ceasing advisories on the system on 15:00 UTC of 8 February. MFR issued their last advisory on the storm on 8 February as it again transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone, with the system being last noted on 11 February. Batsirai caused major impacts to Mauritius, Réunion, and Madagascar, caused $190 million in damages, and caused 123 people to die. In Mauritius and Reunion, an estimated 43,500 homes lost power due to the storm. A total of 138 people sought refuge in evacuation centers. Power girds in Madagascar were also knocked out. Agricultural losses in Reunion amounted an estimated €47 million ($53.3 million).


Moderate Tropical Storm Cliff

On 31 January, the MFR reported the formation of a weak area of low pressure east of
Cyclone Batsirai Intense Tropical Cyclone Batsirai was a deadly tropical cyclone which heavily impacted Madagascar in February 2022, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Madagascar since Cyclone Enawo in 2017. It made landfall two weeks after Trop ...
, which the JTWC recognized as ''Invest 90S'' at 08:00 UTC of 2 February. Two days later at 03:00 UTC, the JTWC issued a TCFA for the invest, upgrading it to a tropical cyclone shortly after, noting the defined but obscured LLC. At midday, the MFR followed, and declared the same low as a tropical depression. Later in the evening, the MFR upgraded it to a moderate tropical storm and was given the name ''Cliff''. By midnight of 5 February, Cliff weakened as it lost organization, with its convection being displaced south of its LLC. By 06:00 UTC, Cliff further weakened due to an intrusion of dry air and further strengthening of northwesterly wind shear. Six hours later, the MFR issued its last bulletin and declared it as a "filling up" low. On the next day at 21:00 UTC, the JTWC also issued its final warning on Cliff. The remnants of Cliff meandered in the open-sea and briefly passed west of the
Reunion island Reunion may refer to: * Class reunion * Family reunion Reunion, Réunion, Re-union, Reunions or The Reunion may also refer to: Places * Réunion, a French overseas department and island in the Indian Ocean * Reunion, Commerce City, Colorado, US ...
on 11 February, dissipating completely on 12 February.


Moderate Tropical Storm Dumako

On 10 February, MFR began monitoring an area of disturbed weather, with the JTWC designating the system as an
invest Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort. In finance, the purpose of investing is ...
a day later. By 12 February, it had been upgraded to a tropical disturbance by MFR, before being upgraded to a tropical depression later that day. The JTWC assessed that the system had developed into a tropical cyclone on 13 February, giving it the designation ''12S''. MFR upgraded the system to a moderate tropical storm later that day, being given the name ''Dumako'' by the Mauritius Meteorological Service. By 14 February at 00:00 UTC, MFR estimated Dumako to have peaked in intensity, with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of . Dumako continued westward, and by the next day, it had made landfall near Sainte-Marie Island. MFR downgraded Dumako to a tropical depression later that day, with the JTWC doing the same at 00:00 UTC on 16 February. Dumako re-emerged over water on the same day, before being assessed to have lost tropical depression status by MFR on 17 February. Dumako dissipated on 18 February as it made landfall over
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 ...
close to the city of
Quelimane Quelimane () is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais (or "River of the Good Signs"). The river was named when V ...
. 14 people died as a result of Dumako, with four thousand people having been displaced.


Intense Tropical Cyclone Emnati

Emnati initially developed as a zone of disturbed weather, where it moved westwards over the open waters in
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 th ...
. Environmental conditions were assessed as being marginally conducive for tropical cyclogenesis, with the disturbance being located about south 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 o ...
. On the same day, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert for the system, and by 21:00 UTC, the JTWC initiated advisories on the system and classified it as ''Tropical Cyclone 13S''. The next day, the system organized into a tropical disturbance. The system continued organizing, and at 12:00 UTC, MFR upgraded the system to a tropical depression. By 17 February, the MFR reported that the system had become a moderate tropical storm, and the Sub-Regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Center in Mauritius named it ''Emnati''. Emnati caused impacts to Mauritius, Réunion, and Madagascar, about $15 million in damages, and caused 15 deaths.


Moderate Tropical Storm Fezile

During 16 February, the MFR reported that a low-pressure system which was labelled as Tropical Low 19U by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology entered the basin. The agency re-assessed it as ''Zone of Disturbed Weather 06'', with the system having an ill-defined center and fluctuating convection. On the same day, the JTWC issued a TCFA following deepening of the system's convective bands and the organization of its LLC. After maintaining the same intensity for two days, the system intensified into a moderate tropical storm at midnight of 18 February. The Mauritius Meteorological Service named the storm as ''Fezile''. The system's cloud pattern rapidly organized, with numerous satellite imagery depicting the formation of curved bands. However, three hours later, the JTWC cancelled its TCFA as the system started its subtropical transition, with the MFR noting its convective structure weakening and being continuously sheared by 06:00 UTC. Fezile's structure was affected by wind shear, until later that evening, when Fezile became a post-tropical cyclone and began extratropical transition. Fezile completely dissipated shortly after.


Intense Tropical Cyclone Vernon

On 26 February, when Vernon entered the MFR's area of responsibility (AoR), it was assessed as an intense tropical cyclone on the SWIO scale, with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph) and a central atmospheric pressure of 950 hPa (28.47 inHg).


Moderate Tropical Storm 08

Tropical Depression 08 initially formed on 23 February as a low-pressure area, which was located very close to Cyclone Vernon. Two days later, the JTWC started to monitor the same disturbance as ''Invest 93S''. At 06:00 UTC of 27 February, the MFR upgraded it to a tropical depression as it orbited near Vernon. After maintaining its convection for a day, the MFR issued its last advisory for Tropical Depression 08, as it underwent a
Fujiwhara interaction The Fujiwhara effect, sometimes referred to as the Fujiwara effect, Fujiw(h)ara interaction or binary interaction, is a phenomenon that occurs when two nearby cyclonic vortices move around each other and close the distance between the circulations ...
with Vernon. Its convection had decayed and its low-level center had become ill-defined as a result of the interaction, and due to this, the JTWC had also stopped monitoring the invest on the next day. In post-analysis, MFR upgraded the system to Moderate Tropical Storm 08.


Intense Tropical Cyclone Gombe

On 6 March, the MFR began to monitor a zone of disturbed weather located approximately from
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 incl ...
, moving northward. The JTWC later tagged the system as ''Invest 97S'', and issued a TCFA for the storm at 11:40 UTC on 6 March. The next day, the MFR upgraded it to a tropical depression on 12:00 UTC, with it being named ''Moderate Tropical Storm Gombe'' six hours later. The JTWC followed, upgrading Gombe to a tropical storm with winds of at 18:00 UTC on 7 March. The MFR re-classified Gombe as an overland depression at 06:00 UTC as it made landfall in northern Madagascar on 8 March, and the JTWC downgraded the storm to a tropical depression. 24 hours later, Gombe emerged over the
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 long ...
, and strengthened back to a tropical storm. Gombe gradually re-developed its structure, and then intensified to a high-end tropical storm late on 9 March, and gained Category 1-equivalent winds by 06:00 UTC on 10 March. As it neared landfall on
Nampula Province Nampula is a 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 Portuguese rule this province ...
, it underwent
rapid intensification In meteorology, rapid intensification is a situation where a tropical cyclone intensifies dramatically in a short period of time. The United States National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as an increase in the maximum sustained w ...
and strengthened from in 18 hours. The MFR upgraded Gombe to the fourth Intense Tropical Cyclone of the year at the same time. Following Gombe's landfall in Mozambique, it proceeded to lose most of its convection the next day. The MFR downgraded the storm to an Overland Depression for the second time on 06:00 UTC on 11 March. In the technical bulletin released on 17 March by the MFR, the agency noted that what was left of Gombe reorganized itself into a tropical depression in the Mozambique channel. Later that day, however, the MFR issued their final bulletin on the storm. Mozambique was particularly hard-hit by Gombe, with approximately 736,000 people directly affected. A total of 63 people died and 108 others were injured in the country.


Intense Tropical Cyclone Halima

In a bulletin released by the MFR on 21 March, a climate disturbance zone was detected in the northeast of the agency's area of responsibility. The area organized and became a tropical depression, being designated ''10''. The system underwent
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. Tropi ...
on the morning of 23 March, and was subsequently upgraded to a moderate tropical storm, being given the name ''Halima'' by the MFR. The storm again intensified on the afternoon of 24 March, and the MFR upgraded it to a severe tropical storm. At 18:00 UTC of the same day, the MFR released another technical bulletin, informing that the low pressure intensified into a Category 1 equivalent tropical cyclone. On the morning of 25 March, Halima strengthened to an intense tropical cyclone according to the MFR.


Subtropical Depression Issa

On 11 April, 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 ...
evolved near the southeast coast of South Africa from the interaction of an upper-level trough and warmer air near the surface. With warm ocean temperatures and low wind shear, the low developed intense thunderstorms which wrapped around a tight circulation, and dropped heavy rainfall in eastern South Africa. On 12 April, the MFR designated the low as Subtropical Depression Issa, based on the system's structure and the presence of gale-force winds. Issa moved slowly to the south at first, strengthening to reach 10-minute sustained winds of 95 km/h (60 mph) late on 12 April. At its peak, the storm had an eye-like feature in the middle of a symmetrical area of thunderstorms. On 13 April, the JTWC classified this system as a subtropical storm in an unofficial bulletin. Issa turned to the north back toward the South African coast due to the trough in the region. Increased wind shear and dry air stripped away the thunderstorms near the center, weakening the storm, and causing the MFR to discontinue advisories on 13 April. Issa exacerbated catastrophic floodings in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, that killed 435 people.


Severe Tropical Storm Jasmine

At 06:00 UTC on 22 April, the MFR released a bulletin detecting a weather disturbance zone near
Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...
and it was designated ''12''. The system shifted and gained strength in the afternoon of the same day reaching "tropical disturbance" status. The JTWC also released an unofficial bulletin on the low-pressure system, designating it as ''Invest 97S''. The cyclone made landfall in
Nampula Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Northern Mozambique. With a population of 743,125 (2017 census), it is the third-largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Matola. The city is located in the interior of Nampula Province, approxi ...
, off the coast of Mozambique. The storm reentered into the
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 long ...
two days later, it intensified and reached the status of "moderate tropical storm", thus earning the name ''Jasmine''. It peaked as a Severe Tropical Storm with windspeed of 110 km/h according to MFR whereas the JTWC estimated a slightly lower windspeed of 100 km/h. Soon reaching its peak intensity, it began to encounter low sea surface temperatures as well as high wind shear and baroclinic forces which commenced its weakening. With the same intensity on 26 April, the storm made landfall at
Toliara Toliara (also known as ''Toliary'', ; formerly ''Tuléar'') is a city in Madagascar. It is the capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region, located 936 km southwest of national capital Antananarivo. The current spelling of the name was adopted ...
and the MFR downgraded it into an overland depression. On 27 April 2022, the MFR released a final bulletin, informing that Jasmine had lost its tropical characteristics and was downgraded to a low pressure common on the high seas. As a result of Jasmine, three people have died, and seven more have been reported missing.


Moderate Tropical Storm Karim

On May 4, a new tropical depression was marked by MFR and quickly developed into a tropical cyclone, which was named ''Karim''. The system gradually organized before it exited into the Australian Region basin on May 7.


Storm names

Within the South-West Indian Ocean, tropical depressions and subtropical depressions that are judged to have 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 65 km/h (40 mph) by the
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 p ...
on
Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
island, France (RSMC La Réunion) are usually assigned a name. However, it is the Sub-Regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centers in Mauritius and Madagascar who name the systems. The Sub-Regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Center (Mauritius Meteorological Services) in Mauritius names a storm should it intensify into a moderate tropical storm between 55°E and
90°E The meridian 90° east of Prime Meridian, 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 trop ...
. If instead a cyclone intensifies into a moderate tropical storm between 30°E and 55°E then the Sub-Regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Center (Madagascar Meteorological Services) in Madagascar assigns the appropriate name to the storm. Storm names are taken from three pre-determined lists of names, which rotate on a triennial basis, with any names that have been used automatically removed. Therefore, all storm names used this year will be removed from the rotation and replaced with a new name for the 2024–25 season, while the unused names will remain on the list. New names this season are: Ana, Batsirai, Cliff, Dumako, Emnati, Fezile, Gombe, Halima, Issa, Jasmine, Karim, and Letlama. They replaced Alcide, Bouchra, Cilida, Desmond, Eketsang, Funani, Gelena, Haleh, Idai, Joaninha, Kenneth, and Lorna after the 2018–19 season. If a tropical cyclone enters the South-West Indian basin from the Australian region basin (west of 90°E), it will retain the name assigned to it by the
Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
(BoM). The following storms were named in this manner: * Vernon


Season effects

This table lists all of the
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s and
subtropical cyclone A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of both tropical cyclone, tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were uncertain whether they should be characterized as Tropical cyclo ...
s that were monitored during the 2021–2022 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season. Information on their intensity, duration, name, areas affected, primarily comes from RSMC La Réunion. Death and damage reports come from either press reports or the relevant national disaster management agency while the damage totals are given in 2021 or 2022 USD. , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Mascarene Islands, Madagascar, Southern Africa , , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar , , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Madagascar, Mozambique , , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar , , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None, , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None, , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi , , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , South Africa , , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Comoros, Mozambique, Madagascar , , , , , , Global Catastrophe Recap First Half of 2022
Global Catastrophe Recap, First Half of 2022
, - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , , , , , , -


See also

*
Weather of 2021 The following is a list of weather events that occurred in 2021. The year began with La Niña conditions. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat wave ...
and
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
* List of Southern Hemisphere cyclone seasons *Tropical cyclones in
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
and
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
*Atlantic hurricane seasons:
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
,
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
*Pacific hurricane seasons:
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
,
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
*Pacific typhoon seasons:
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
,
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
*North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons:
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
,
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
* 2021–22 Australian region cyclone season *
2021–22 South Pacific cyclone season The 2021–22 South Pacific cyclone season was a near average tropical cyclone season within the South Pacific Ocean to the east of 160°E. The season officially started from November 1, 2021, and officially ended on April 30, 2022, however a tr ...


References


External links


Météo-France La Réunion
*
Alternative website

Direction Générale de la Météorologie de Madagascar

Mauritius Meteorological Services


{{DEFAULTSORT:2021-22 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season * 2021–22
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...