2007–08 South-West Indian Ocean Cyclone Season
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The 2007–08 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was the third most active
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 ...
season, along with the 1985–86 season and behind the 1993–94 season and the 2018–19 season, with twelve named tropical cyclones developing in the region. It began on November 15, 2007, and ended on April 30, 2008, 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 ...
, which ended May 15. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical 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 ...
. 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 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 ...
. __TOC__


Seasonal 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:01/07/2007 till:01/05/2008 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/07/2007 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:TD value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:Tropical_Disturbance id:MTS value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:Moderate_Tropical_Storm id:STS value:rgb(0.80,1,1) legend:Severe_Tropical_Storm id:TC value:rgb(1,1,0.80) legend:Tropical_Cyclone id:ITC value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Intense_Tropical_Cyclone id:VITC value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Very_Intense_Tropical_Cyclone Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:26/07/2007 till:29/07/2007 color:MTS text:"01U (MTS)" from:12/10/2007 till:13/10/2007 color:TD text:"01 (TDi)" from:15/11/2007 till:28/11/2007 color:STS text:"Lee-Ariel (STS)" from:17/11/2007 till:28/11/2007 color:STS text:"Bongwe (STS)" from:11/12/2007 till:23/12/2007 color:MTS text:"Celina (MTS)" from:17/12/2007 till:21/12/2007 color:MTS text:"Dama (MTS)" from:29/12/2007 till:03/01/2008 color:MTS text:"Elnus (MTS)" barset:break from:06/01/2008 till:08/01/2008 color:TD text:"07 (TDi)" from:22/01/2008 till:01/02/2008 color:TC text:"Fame (TC)" from:25/01/2008 till:01/02/2008 color:TC text:"Gula (TC)" from:02/02/2008 till:29/02/2008 color:ITC text:" Hondo (ITC)" from:05/02/2008 till:27/02/2008 color:ITC text:" Ivan (ITC)" from:02/03/2008 till:16/03/2008 color:ITC text:" Jokwe (ITC)" from:05/03/2008 till:14/03/2008 color:ITC text:"Kamba (ITC)" barset:break from:18/03/2008 till:27/03/2008 color:MTS text:"Lola (MTS)" bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/07/2007 till:01/08/2007 text:July from:01/08/2007 till:01/09/2007 text:August from:01/09/2007 till:01/10/2007 text:September from:01/10/2007 till:01/11/2007 text:October from:01/11/2007 till:01/12/2007 text:November from:01/12/2007 till:01/01/2008 text:December from:01/01/2008 till:01/02/2008 text:January from:01/02/2008 till:01/03/2008 text:February from:01/03/2008 till:01/04/2008 text:March from:01/04/2008 till:01/05/2008 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 w ...
)"


Systems


Tropical Cyclone 01U

On July 26, a tropical disturbance developed within a near-equatorial
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 ...
. The next day,
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 convec ...
began to develop around the low while located about east of Diego Garcia. Moderate wind shear temporarily caused the convection to become displaced from the center on July 27. However, later that day, 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) assessed the chances of the low developing into a tropical cyclone as "fair". By July 29 the low was designated as Tropical Disturbance 01 while located near the edge of
Météo-France Météo-France is the French national meteorological service. Organisation The organisation was established by decree in June 1993 and is a department of the Ministry of Transportation. It is headquartered in Paris but many domestic operatio ...
s area of responsibility. With developing banding features, increasing convection and very warm sea-surface temperatures (exceeding 28 °C; 82.4 °F), the JTWC issued a
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 forming ...
for the low as they assessed the chances of development of a tropical cyclone within 48 hours as "good". In the post-storm report issued 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 ...
, the system was estimated to have become a
Category 1 cyclone Tropical cyclones are ranked on one of five tropical cyclone intensity scales, according to their maximum sustained winds and which tropical cyclone basins they are located in. Only a few scales of classifications are used officially by the mete ...
, with winds peaking at , shortly before leaving Météo-Frances area of responsibility early on July 29. After leaving Météo-Frances area of responsibility, the JTWC designated the storm as Tropical Cyclone 01S. In Météo-Frances post-storm analysis, the disturbance was declassified as a tropical cyclone and the numbering, 01, was removed for unknown reasons.


Tropical Disturbance 01

The first officially recognized tropical disturbance developed early on October 10. The disturbance featured persistent
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 convec ...
around an elongated low level circulation located about west-northwest of Diego Garcia. With marginally favorable. conditions for further development, the JTWC assessed the chances of the low developing into a
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 ...
as "poor". Further development took place later that day, with banding features developing and deepening convection as it traveled towards the south-southwest. In response to the increased development, the JTWC increased the chances of a tropical cyclone developing to "fair". On October 12
Météo-France Météo-France is the French national meteorological service. Organisation The organisation was established by decree in June 1993 and is a department of the Ministry of Transportation. It is headquartered in Paris but many domestic operatio ...
designated the system as Tropical Disturbance 01-20072008. However, little or no further development was expected. Late on October 12 through early on October 13,
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 ...
intensity estimates for the low from the JTWC reached T2.5—the equivalent of a minimal tropical storm—and there was a possibility that the system was briefly a tropical storm by one-minute standards. Despite favorable upper-level conditions and low wind shear, the disturbance was situated over cool sea-surface temperatures which provided little energy to fuel convective activity. With little thunderstorm and shower activity development, Météo-France issued their final advisory on the dissipating low the next day. Since the disturbance never impacted land, there were no reports of damage or injuries from it.


Severe Tropical Storm Lee–Ariel

On November 13, 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) began monitoring a tropical low situated about northwest of the Keeling Islands. The next day, the low was upgraded to a
Category 1 cyclone Tropical cyclones are ranked on one of five tropical cyclone intensity scales, according to their maximum sustained winds and which tropical cyclone basins they are located in. Only a few scales of classifications are used officially by the mete ...
and given the name ''Lee''. Shortly after being named, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert as deep
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 convec ...
persisted around the center of circulation. The system was moving towards the southwest within an area of moderate wind shear. Several hours later, the JTWC designated Lee as Tropical Cyclone 03S. With continued development, Lee strengthened into a Category 2 cyclone, according to the BoM, with winds of 95 km/h (60 mph 10-minute winds). At 1200 UTC, Lee crossed into Météo-France's area of responsibility at peak intensity. Upon entering their AoR, it was given a second name, Ariel, and designated as a severe tropical storm. Roughly six hours later, the JTWC assessed Lee–Ariel to have reached its peak intensity with winds of 110 km/h (70 mph 1-minute sustained), based on the development of an eye-like structure. The next day, foreword motion slowed significantly due to a
subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
located to the north of the storm. This ridge also caused the storm to turn towards the west, keeping a slow pace. Strong wind shear began to impact the system later that day, causing it to weaken into a moderate tropical storm. Despite the strong shear, most forecast models showed the storm re-intensifying several days out in an area of lower shear. Most of the deep convection was torn away from the system, with little remaining around the center of circulation. The storm weakened to a tropical depression around 0600 UTC on November 17 as convection continued to dissipate. Despite moving into an area favorable for intensification, Météo-France issued their final advisory on ex-Lee–Ariel on November 18 as it continued to weaken. The remnants of the system persisted for another ten days, completing an erratic counter-clockwise loop before taking a general westward direction.


Severe Tropical Storm Bongwe

An area of disturbed weather developed east of Diego Garcia on November 15. The system slowly organised as it moved southeastward and began interacting with Severe Tropical Storm Ariel, and 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 ...
issued a
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 forming ...
on November 17. The JTWC upgraded the system to Tropical Cyclone 04S early the next day. Also on November 18, RSMC La Réunion classified the system as Tropical Disturbance 03. Later that day, RSMC La Réunion upgraded it to Tropical Depression 03.ftp://ftp.met.fsu.edu/pub/weather/tropical/Seychelles/2007111818-FMEE It was upgraded to Moderate Tropical Storm Bongwe on November 19 and a Severe Tropical Storm later that day. Increased wind shear early on November 20 slowed the intensification trend, and weakened it to a moderate tropical storm. However, it restrengthened to a severe tropical storm on November 22. The restrengthening trend was short-lived, however, as the storm weakened once again on November 23, down to a depression and then a disturbance, until it finally dissipated on November 24.


Moderate Tropical Storm Celina

An area of disturbed weather developed early on the December 12 north-northeast of
Rodrigues Rodrigues (french: Île Rodrigues, link=yes ; Creole: ) is a autonomous outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Islands, which include Mauritius and Réunion. Rodr ...
. Later that day it was designated as Tropical Disturbance 04R. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center then issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the developing system late on December 12. The JTWC issued its first warning on December 13, designating the storm as Tropical Cyclone 06S. Although the low level circulation center was exposed the system was upgraded to a tropical depression by Météo-France on December 14 due to a better low level circulation. Early on December 17 Mauritius Meteorological Service upgraded the system to a moderate tropical storm and named it "Celina" as it approaches Mauritius Island. Weakening took place on December 18, and the JTWC issued its final advisory early that day. Météo-France maintained the system as a tropical depression. Météo-France issued its final advisory on December 21 as it began to dissipate just east of southeastern Madagascar.ftp://ftp.met.fsu.edu/pub/weather/tropical/Seychelles/2007122112-FMEE On December 20, the remnant low of Celina passed about southwest of Reunion, producing heavy rains over the island. Some areas received of rain in the span of three hours, with the highest total amounting to 374 mm (14.7 in) in La Plaine des Chicots. These rains led to the death of one woman after she drowned in her car which was overcome by floodwaters in a ravine. Wind gusts were recorded up to .


Moderate Tropical Storm Dama

An area of disturbed weather begin developing east 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 ...
near Cocos Island, eventually crossing into the southwestern Indian Ocean early on December 17. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert early December 18. RSMC Réunion designated the system a tropical disturbance early in the afternoon as the convection begin to deepen and isolate itself from the disturbance to its northwest. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center designated the tropical disturbance as Tropical Cyclone 07S. The weak vertical wind shear allowed the system to deepen into a tropical depression in the early evening of December 18. The system temporarily reached moderate tropical storm intensity on December 19 but persistent vertical wind shear caused it to rapidly weaken back into a tropical depression. However, the next day, decreasing wind shear allowed convection to form closer to the center for 05R to reclassify as a moderate tropical storm status and earned the name "Dama." The Joint Typhoon Warning Center and Météo-France issued its final advisory on December 21 as it transitioned to an extratropical system.


Moderate Tropical Storm Elnus

Early on December 30 an area of disturbed weather formed west of
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 ...
and was designated as 06R. Later that day it was upgraded to Tropical Disturbance 06R, whilst 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) issued a
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 forming ...
on the developing system. On December 31,
Météo-France Météo-France is the French national meteorological service. Organisation The organisation was established by decree in June 1993 and is a department of the Ministry of Transportation. It is headquartered in Paris but many domestic operatio ...
upgraded the disturbance to tropical depression status. Soon after, the JTWC upgraded the system to Tropical Cyclone 09S. Early on January 1, the depression was upgraded to Moderate Tropical Storm Elnus, while located in 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 ...
. On January 2, Météo-France downgraded the system to Tropical Depression ex-Elnus, and then to a tropical disturbance the next day. The JTWC issued its last advisory on January 4 as it transitioned to an extratropical system. Météo-France noted the storm was becoming extratropical on January 4, and on January 6 issued its final advisory on Extratropical Depression ex-Elnus as the system passed to the south of Madagascar. On January 3, Elnus passed about east of
Europa Island Europa Island (, ), in Malagasy Nosy Ampela is a low-lying tropical atoll in the Mozambique Channel, about a third of the way from southern Madagascar to southern Mozambique. The island had never been inhabited until 1820, when the French fam ...
, producing winds up to along with a pressure of 997 hPa (mbar). The storm also enhanced rainfall, peaking around , over parts of
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 ...
, causing minor flooding. Heavy rains 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 ...
briefly displaced 90 families in
Antananarivo Antananarivo ( French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "An ...
.


Tropical Disturbance 07

On January 6, the JTWC began monitoring an exposed low-level circulation located about north of
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 ...
traveling towards the south. Although moderate wind shear hampered significant development, deep convection developed towards the north of the low. Early the next day, the low was designated as Tropical Disturbance 07-20072008 by
Météo-France Météo-France is the French national meteorological service. Organisation The organisation was established by decree in June 1993 and is a department of the Ministry of Transportation. It is headquartered in Paris but many domestic operatio ...
. Later that day, despite weakening wind shear and increasing convection, the disturbance degenerated into a zone of disturbed weather. Although convection began to decrease by January 8, due to increasing wind shear, Météo-France redesigned the system as a tropical disturbance. At this time, the disturbance was assessed to have reached its peak intensity with winds of with a minimum pressure of 1003 
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 ...
). Later that day, the low rapidly weakened and dissipated while located northwest of Réunion. Due to the proximity to Réunion, the disturbance produced numerous showers and thunderstorms for a few days.


Tropical Cyclone Fame

An area of disturbed weather formed north of
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 ...
and was designated as Tropical Disturbance 08R on January 24. On the next day it was upgraded to Tropical Depression 08R by Météo-France, while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the developing system. it was then upgraded to "Moderate Tropical Storm Fame" by the Sub-Regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centre in Madagascar. It remained nearly stationary and by January 26 it was upgraded to a severe tropical storm. The storm made landfall over northwestern Madagascar as a severe tropical storm on January 27. Later that day the system temporarily reached tropical cyclone stage just before landfall near Malagasy. It dissipated early on January 28 over Madagascar. The system, however, regenerated on January 29 as it re-emerged over water and became a tropical depression once again. However, Fame did not strengthen further due to interaction with Cyclone Gula, and after being declared extratropical, Météo-France redeclared the system tropical and issued its last advisory.ftp://ftp.met.fsu.edu/pub/weather/tropical/Seychelles/2008020112-FMEE Strong winds from the storm damaged numerous mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees. At least 13 people were killed and about 20,000 people were left homeless. Maximum sustained winds were recorded up to and rainfall peaked at 146. in Besalampy. Total damages from the storm were estimated at 100 million
Malagasy ariary The ariary (sign: Ar; ISO 4217 code MGA) is the currency of Madagascar. It is notionally subdivided into 5 ''iraimbilanja'' and is one of only two non-decimal currencies currently circulating (the other is the ''Mauritanian ouguiya''). The names a ...
($51,000  USD). After regenerating in the southern Indian Ocean, Fame produced torrential rains over Reunion, peaking at 875 mm (34.4 in) over a three-day span, 731 mm (28.7 in) of which fell in 48 hours. The system, in combination with Gula, produced high waves, peaking at 8 m (26.2 ft) along the coasts of Reunion. A peak wind gust of was recorded at Gros Piton Ste-Rose


Tropical Cyclone Gula

An area of disturbed weather formed over the south-central Indian Ocean in the fourth week of January. It slowly developed and Météo-France began monitoring it as a disturbed area of weather on January 26. It was upgraded to a tropical depression later that day and was named as moderate tropical storm Gula on January 27 by the Mauritius Meteorological Service. Intensification continued and it was upgraded to a severe tropical storm on January 28. The intensification trend became more rapid early on January 29 as a clear eye developed and the storm became a tropical cyclone. After weakening and oscillating between severe and moderate tropical storm status, Météo-France declared it an extratropical depression, and then issued its last advisory on February 2.


Intense Tropical Cyclone Hondo

The third tropical cyclone and first intense tropical cyclone of the season, Hondo developed out of a tropical disturbance in early February about east-southeast of Diego Garcia. The disturbance quickly strengthened, becoming a moderate tropical storm on February 4 and a severe tropical storm the following day. After a brief period of slower intensification, Hondo
rapidly intensified 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 wi ...
into an intense tropical cyclone and reached its peak intensity with winds of 215 km/h (130 mph 10-minute winds) on February 7. Around the same time that Météo-France assessed Hondo to have peaked, the JTWC reported that the storm had attained winds of 240 km/h (150 mph 1-minute winds), equivalent to a strong
Category 4 hurricane Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) *Categories (Peirce) *C ...
. The cyclone gradually weakened over the next several days due to an increase in forward speed and a decrease in
sea surface temperatures Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masse ...
. On February 12, Hondo rapidly degenerated into a remnant-low-pressure area. Over the following week, the remnant low traveled in a general west-northwest direction with no development. On February 20, about northeast of where the final advisories were issued, the storm began to regenerate. The next day, advisories were issued on Tropical Disturbance Ex-Hondo, which briefly strengthened into a tropical depression. However, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Hondo continued to strengthen and attained winds of 95 km/h (60 mph 1-minute winds) before passing directly over
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 ...
. Interaction with the island caused the storm to weaken and degenerate into a remnant low once more. The storm dissipated on February 29 after executing a counterclockwise loop. Sustained winds of with gusts up to were recorded on Mauritius while sustained winds of with gusts up to were recorded on Réunion. The highest rainfall total was recorded at Takamaka, totaling to 750 mm (29.5 in). Up to 760,000 people were affected on Réunion and overall damage was minimal.


Intense Tropical Cyclone Ivan

Early on February 7, an area of disturbed weather northeast of Madagascar, heading southeast, was designated Tropical Depression 11R. Like Cyclone Hondo before it, the storm intensified quickly into Moderate Tropical Storm Ivan, then reached severe status a few hours later. Severe status was held until February 11, when Ivan became a tropical cyclone for a short time. Ivan was moving quite slowly, and this, coupled with medium shear, weakened it to moderate tropical storm status by February 12.ftp://ftp.met.fsu.edu/pub/weather/tropical/Seychelles/2008021218-FMEE During this time, Ivan made two complete loops in the open sea. However, by February 14, it had sped up and entered a more favourable environment, becoming a severe tropical storm. On February 15, Ivan was reupgraded to a tropical cyclone as favourable conditions persisted. Ivan was further upgraded to an Intense Tropical Cyclone on February 16 as it moved closer to
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 ...
. Ivan made landfall north of Fanoarivo, Madagascar on February 17. Once overland, rapid weakening occurred due to the rugged terrain of the island. Ivan was forecast to regenerate 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 ...
into a tropical depression once it left Madagascar. Ivan traversed Madagascar, heading southwest. Its remnants emerged back over water on February 21, and Météo-France resumed advisories on "filling depression Ex-Ivan". Ivan, severely disrupted by Madagascar, did not strengthen any further; the last advisory was issued on February 22. A preliminary casualty estimate due to Ivan is 93. The cyclone left over 330,000 homeless. Sainte Marie, the island where Ivan made landfall, is estimated to have 75% of its buildings completely destroyed. Total damages from Ivan total more than $30 million ( 2008 USD).


Intense Tropical Cyclone Jokwe

On March 4, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on an area of disturbed weather developing northeast of
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 ...
. Soon after, Météo-France upgraded the system to tropical disturbance status. Early on March 5, the JTWC issued its first advisory on the developing system, designating it as Tropical Cyclone 22S. Later that day, the disturbance was upgraded to Moderate Tropical Storm Jokwe. At noon on March 6, after a bout of rapid intensification, Jokwe was upgraded to a tropical cyclone, skipping severe storm status. After being briefly downgraded to a severe tropical storm, Jokwe was reupgraded to a tropical cyclone, then an intense tropical cyclone on the evening of March 7. Jokwe made landfall between Mozambique Island and Angoche Island early on March 8.ftp://ftp.met.fsu.edu/pub/weather/tropical/Seychelles/2008030812-FMEE Over the next two days, Jokwe fell down to severe tropical storm following land interaction with Mozambique. Later that day, Jokwe was reupgraded to a tropical cyclone, and became an intense tropical cyclone again early on March 11. Jokwe then came under the influence of moderate windshear, and weakened down to a severe tropical storm again by March 12. Jokwe was re-upgraded to a Tropical Cyclone early March 13, but was soon downgraded again to a severe tropical storm later that day due to another increase in wind shear. Shear had been steadily increasing, and on March 13 Jokwe's movement slowed down drastically; it moved around the same general area of ocean and weakened. Final warnings were issued by the JTWC late March 14, and by Météo-France early March 15. 44 houses were destroyed in Madagascar as Jokwe hit the northern tip of the island. At least 20 people were killed and over 9,000 homes destroyed as Jokwe passed through north-eastern Mozambique. At least 100,000 have been displaced by Jokwe. The United Nations
World Food Program The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен ...
(WFP) provided emergency food aid to 60,000 people affected by Jokwe in Mozambique.


Intense Tropical Cyclone Kamba

On March 5, MFR classified a tropical disturbance just outside of their area of responsibility. By March 7, deep
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 convec ...
developing along the western half of the system as the vertical wind shear—previously inhibiting development—began to weaken. Later that day, MFR upgraded the disturbance to a tropical depression. Late on March 8, the depression further strengthened into a tropical storm; it was subsequently assigned the name ''Kamba'' by the Meteorological service in
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 ...
, a name contributed by the
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 ...
. Wind shear continued to impact the organization of the system as the eastern portion of the storm remained partially exposed. Tracking southwest, Kamba quickly intensified into a severe tropical storm at 1200 UTC on March 9 as winds increased to 95 km/h (60 mph 10-minute winds). Not long after being upgraded to a severe tropical storm, the JTWC estimated that Kamba had strengthened into the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane with winds of . Early on March 10, Kamba began to undergo rapid intensification and Météo-France upgraded the storm to a tropical cyclone as an eye developed. At this time, Kamba also started to turn towards the south as it tracked around the northwestern edge of a strong
subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
. With low wind shear, Kamba continued to intensify throughout the first half of March 10, reaching its peak intensity with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph 10-minute winds) with a minimum pressure of 930 
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 ...
) at 1200 UTC according to Météo-France. Kamba developed a 46 km (28 mi) wide eye as it reached peak intensity. Shortly after, the JTWC upgraded Kamba to a Category 4 equivalent cyclone with winds of 215 km/h (135 mph 1-minute winds). By March 11, Kamba began to move over cooler waters and into an area of higher wind shear, causing the storm to deteriorate. About 24 hours after reaching peak intensity, the storm began to undergo an
extratropical transition 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 ...
and weakened to a tropical cyclone. Early on March 12, the JTWC issued their final advisory on Kamba as it rapidly weakened over open waters. At the same time, Météo-France further downgraded the cyclone to a severe tropical storm as winds dropped below 120 km/h (75 mph 10-minute winds). Kamba further weakened to a moderate tropical storm as convection associated with the storm significantly diminished. The final advisory by Météo-France was issued shortly after as the storm degenerated into a remnant-low-pressure area. The remnants of Kamba persisted for a few more days before ultimately dissipating at 0600 UTC on March 14.


Moderate Tropical Storm Lola

An area of disturbed weather north east of Mauritius, identified on March 20, became a tropical disturbance on March 21, and a depression later that day. The JTWC initiated advisories on Tropical Cyclone 25S around the same time. The system became Moderate Tropical Storm Lola early March 22 based on it having gale-force winds in the southern quadrant far away from the center and due to it having deep convection. Lola weakened back to a tropical depression that afternoon as it began to suffer from moderate to strong northeasterly shear. It alternated between depression and disturbance a few times, until the final advisory was issued on a zone of disturbed weather on March 26. The JTWC had issued its final advisory two days earlier, on March 24.


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
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 ...
assigns the appropriate name to the storm. If a tropical disturbance reaches moderate tropical storm status 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 ...
, then the Sub-regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centre in
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 ...
assigns the appropriate name to the storm. A new annual list is used every year so no names are retired.


Season effects

This table lists all the storms that developed in the Southern Hemisphere during the 2007–2008 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season. It includes their intensity, duration, name, landfalls, deaths, and damages. With the exception of Tropical Cyclone 01U/01S all related to intensity is taken from
Météo-France Météo-France is the French national meteorological service. Organisation The organisation was established by decree in June 1993 and is a department of the Ministry of Transportation. It is headquartered in Paris but many domestic operatio ...
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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 ...
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See also

*
List of Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons Lists of Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons provides regional indexes to lists of articles about tropical cyclone seasons that occurred in the Southern Hemisphere. They include: *South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclone ** South-West ...
* Tropical cyclones in
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
and
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
* Atlantic hurricane seasons:
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
,
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
* Pacific hurricane seasons:
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
,
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
* Pacific typhoon seasons:
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
,
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
* North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons:
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
,
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...


References


External links


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


{{DEFAULTSORT:2007-08 South-West Indian Ocean Cyclone Season * Articles which contain graphical timelines South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons 2007 SWIO 2008 SWIO