2014–15 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season

Seasonal summary

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PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:11 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:15/11/2014 till:21/11/2014 color:ST text:"Adjali (STS)" from:24/11/2014 till:30/11/2014 color:TD text:"02 (TDe)" from:13/12/2014 till:13/12/2014 color:ZD text:"Bakung (RL)" from:30/12/2014 till:31/12/2014 color:IT text:"Kate (ITC)" from:10/01/2015 till:18/01/2015 color:VI text:"Bansi (VITC)" from:14/01/2015 till:19/01/2015 color:ST text:"Chedza (STS)" from:26/01/2015 till:30/01/2015 color:TS text:"Diamondra (MTS)" barset:break from:26/01/2015 till:01/02/2015 color:VI text:"Eunice (VITC)" from:05/02/2015 till:08/02/2015 color:ST text:"Fundi (MTS)" from:22/02/2015 till:28/02/2015 color:ST text:"Glenda (STS)" from:04/03/2015 till:07/03/2015 color:TD text:"11 (TDe)" from:07/03/2015 till:10/03/2015 color:TS text:"Haliba (MTS)" from:02/04/2015 till:11/04/2015 color:TC text:"Joalane (TC)" from:05/04/2015 till:06/04/2015 color:ST text:"Ikola (STS)"

bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/11/2014 till:30/11/2014 text:November from:01/12/2014 till:31/12/2014 text:December from:01/01/2015 till:31/01/2015 text:January from:01/02/2015 till:28/02/2015 text:February from:01/03/2015 till:31/03/2015 text:March from:01/04/2015 till:30/04/2015 text:April TextData = pos:(525,23) text:"(For further details, please see" pos:(672,23) text:"scales)"

During October 2014, the Mauritius Meteorological Services issued its seasonal outlook for the summer of 2014–15 and predicted that between ten and twelve named storms would develop during the season. The first tropical disturbance of the season developed on November 16, and quickly developed into the first named storm of the season and was named Adjali by Mauritius. The last tropical storm of this season, Tropical Depression 14, later known as Ikola, strengthened to a Category 1 tropical cyclone before it crossed on the Australian basin the next day. 2 storms, Bansi and Eunice, became Very Intense Tropical Cyclones.

Systems

Severe Tropical Storm Adjali

|10-min winds=60 |1-min winds=65 An area of low pressure developed close to Diego Garcia on November 14. It slowly organized as it made a northwest–south-southeast loop over the next two days. By the evening of November 16, the center of the storm became more well defined with convective rainbands wrapped tightly into it. Around that time, RSMC La Réunion started tracking the system as a tropical disturbance, and subsequently upgraded it to a Tropical Depression. Later that day, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the system. The depression strengthened further and became the first named tropical storm of the year. On the same day, Mauritius Meteorological Service, which usually names storms in the region, named the system Adjali. The JTWC also initiated advisories on Adjali. On November 17, MFR upgraded it to a Severe Tropical Storm. On November 20, Adjali turned west until reached the northern tip of Madagascar on November 23 and rapidly dissipated. It stayed well from land.

Tropical Depression 02

|10-min winds=32 |1-min winds=35

During November 25, RSMC La Réunion reported that Tropical Disturbance 2, had developed within a marginal environment for further development to the northeast of the Mascarene islands.

Intense Tropical Cyclone Kate

|10-min winds=90 |1-min winds=105 During December 30, Severe Tropical Cyclone Kate moved into the basin from the Australian region, where it was immediately classified as an intense tropical cyclone with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 175 km/h by RSMC La Réunion.

Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Bansi

|10-min winds=120 |1-min winds=140 On January 9, the MFR upgraded a low-pressure system east of Madagascar to a zone of disturbed weather, and the system became a tropical disturbance late on the next day. On January 11, the MFR upgraded the system to a tropical depression. Later that day, it intensified into a moderate tropical storm, receiving the name Bansi, whilst the JTWC upgraded it to a tropical storm. In the next day, the MFR upgraded Bansi to a tropical cyclone, as the system formed a ragged eye. On January 13, Bansi explosively intensified into a Category 5 cyclone. However, it soon weakened to a Category 2 on the SSHWS (intense tropical cyclone for MFR) due to an eyewall replacement cycle.

Approximately 90 percent of the island was left without power as a result of the storm. Some flooding occurred and 115 people sought refuge in shelters. From this moment onwards it started weakening gradually at first, but then deteriorated quickly.

Severe Tropical Storm Chedza

|10-min winds=57 |1-min winds=50 Main article: Tropical Storm Chedza

The formative stages of Chedza brought rainfall to an already flooded region across southeastern Africa. Weeks of heavy rainfall killed 117 people in Mozambique and 104 in neighboring Malawi, where it was the worst flood in 24 years. In Madagascar, Chedza struck after weeks of heavy rainfall, causing rivers to increase and flooding widespread areas of crop fields. In the capital city of Antananarivo, the deluge damaged the main water pump that controlled water levels in the region. The rainfall caused mudslides and damaged roads. Across the country, flooding from Chedza displaced 54,792 people, after destroying 4,430 houses and flooding another 3,442, mostly in Vatovavy-Fitovinany in the southeastern portion. Chedza killed 80 people and caused about $40 million in damage (2015 USD). Later, the storm brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to the mountainous peaks of Réunion.

Moderate Tropical Storm Diamondra

|10-min winds=45 |1-min winds=45

Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Eunice

|10-min winds=125 |1-min winds=140

On January 27, RSMC La Réunion reported that Tropical Disturbance 08, had developed to the northeast of Mauritius.

Severe Tropical Storm Fundi

|10-min winds=55 |1-min winds=55

While in its formative stages, the storm brought rainfall to southwestern Madagascar, totaling 109 mm in Tulear. Severe floods impacted the city of Toliara, killing five people and affecting 1,200 homes. The effects of Fundi in Madagascar worsened the situation in areas still recovering from Severe Tropical Storm Chedza the previous month.

Severe Tropical Storm Glenda

|10-min winds=50 |1-min winds=55 The disturbance continued to move in a westerly direction as the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the system. On February 24, the system gradually intensified into a tropical depression, whilst the JTWC upgraded it into a tropical storm. However, the MFR upgraded the depression into a moderate tropical storm, which was then named Glenda. It intensified slightly because of favourable conditions for further development, within moderate vertical wind shear. On February 25, the storm continued to intensify, and it reached peak intensity. It quickly weakened the next day, and continued to weaken on February 28, and it lost its energy on March 1. Thereafter, MFR announced their final advisory on the system soon after.

Tropical Depression 11

|10-min winds=30 |1-min winds=35

Moderate Tropical Storm Haliba

|10-min winds=45 |1-min winds=40

During the early stages of Haliba's development it produced heavy rains across eastern Madagascar, resulting in severe flooding. A total of 26 people lost their lives on the island while approximately 96,000 people were affected, 39,000 of whom were rendered homeless. Roughly 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) of rice fields were destroyed. Torrential rains also affected Mauritius for three days, leading to damaging floods. A 24‑hour rainfall of 135.6 mm was observed at Ganga Talao. While passing near Réunion, the cyclone produced torrential rain over the northern areas of the island. Total accumulations peaked at 796 mm in Salazie. Although heavy, the rains were noted as normal for a tropical cyclone. Wind gusts were not as strong as initially forecast and did not exceed 100 km/h; a peak gust of 91 km/h was measured in Bellevue Bras Panon. Agricultural damage in the region amounted to €6 million (US$6.4 million).

Tropical Cyclone Joalane

|10-min winds=75 |1-min winds=90 On April 1, the MFR began to monitor Tropical Disturbance 13 several miles southeast of Diego Garcia. Post-storm analysis determined that it did not develop until April 2. Joalane rapidly intensified into a Tropical Cyclone strength system and reached peak intensity. Afterwards, Joalane kept strength while accelerating southward. Joalane became a remnant low late on April 11. The remnant low continued south until it degenerated to a trough by strong wind shear.

Severe Tropical Storm Ikola

|10-min winds=57 |1-min winds=65

Other systems

Early on December 13, Tropical Cyclone Bakung was a category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale before entering this basin. However, during that day the system's low-level circulation centre became exposed and displaced about 280 km from the deep convection. As a result, TCWC Jakarta and the JTWC issued their final warnings on the system, while RSMC La Réunion declared it to be a remnant low in their first and only warning on the system.

Storm names

Within the South-West Indian Ocean, tropical depressions and subtropical depressions that are judged to have 10-minute sustained windspeeds of 65 km/h, (40 mph) by the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center on La Réunion 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 in Mauritius names the storm should it intensify into a moderate tropical storm between 55°E and 90°E, if the storm should intensify into a moderate tropical storm between 30°E and 55°E then the Sub-Regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Center in Madagascar assigns the appropriate name to the storm. New name lists are used every year, while a name is normally only used once so there are currently no names are retired.

Of note is the presence of the name Nathan in this list. This is unrelated to Cyclone Nathan which coincidentally formed during the same cyclone season in the neighbouring Australian region.

Seasonal effects

This table lists all of the tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones that were monitored during the 2014–2015 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 2014 or 2015 USD.

|- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#|55 kn || bgcolor=#|987 hPa || None || None || None || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Diego Garcia, Mauritius, Rodrigues || None || None || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || None || None || None || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || None || None || None || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Mascarene Islands || Minimal || None || |- | Chedza || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#|57 kn || bgcolor=#|975 hPa || Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, Réunion || || 80 || |- | Diamondra || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#|45 kn || bgcolor=#|986 hPa || None || || || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || None || || || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Madagascar || Unknown || 5 || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || None || || || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Mozambique, Madagascar || || || |- | Haliba || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#|45 kn || bgcolor=#|993 hPa || Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius || || || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || None || || || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || None || || || |-

References

References

1. (October 10, 2014). "Summer 2014–2015 Outlook for Mauritius and Rodrigues". Mauritius Meteorological Services.
2. "HIGH from ABIO10". Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).
3. "Warning 001 for Tropical Disturbance 01". RSMC La Réunion.
4. "Warning 002 for Tropical Depression 01". RSMC La Réunion.
5. "TCFA for Tropical Depression 01". JTWC.
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7. "JTWC Cyclone Warning 001 on Cyclone Adjali". JTWC.
8. "RSMC Cyclone Warning 005 on Cyclone Adjali". RSMC La Réunion.
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13. "Tropical Cyclone Forecast Warning 4/5/20142015". RSMC La Réunion.
14. "Tropical Cyclone Forecast Warning 5/5/20142015". RSMC La Réunion.
15. "Warning Of Moderate Tropical Storm 'Bansi'". Mauritius Meteorological Services.
16. "Tropical Cyclone Forecast Warning 8/5/20142015". RSMC La Réunion.
17. (29 November 2021). "Upper ocean freshening and intensification of Tropical Cyclone Bansi in the South West Indian Ocean". GlobalWeatherClimateCenter.
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19. "Ex-Chedza frappe Madagascar et continue de se rapprocher".
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22. Manuel Mucari. (January 28, 2015). "Death toll rises as Mozambique weighs up flood costs".
23. Rex Chikoko. (January 23, 2015). "Flood-hit Malawi faces aid deficit".
24. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (January 16, 2015). "Southern Africa: Floods and Cyclones Update (as of 16 Jan 2015)". ReliefWeb.
25. National Office of Disaster and Risk Management. (February 1, 2015). "Intemperies et Forte Tempete Tropicale "Chedza" Situation à la date du 01 février 2015 – 16H00". ReliefWeb.
26. (January 21, 2015). "Bulletin hydrologique du 21/01/2015 à 15h". ReliefWeb.
27. (February 2, 2015). "Madagascar: Cyclone Chedza Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA) Operation n° MDRMG011". ReliefWeb.
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29. (2015). "Forte Tempête Tropicale Chedza". Météo France.
30. RSMC La Réunion Tropical Cyclone Center. (January 27, 2015). "Tropical Cyclone Forecast Warning January 27, 2015 06:51 UTC". Météo-France.
31. (February 13, 2015). "Cyclone Fundi Unleashes Floods in Madagascar". Earthweek A Diary of the Planet.
32. Elisabeth Gouel. (February 20, 2015). "Madagascar: Act Alliance Preliminary Appeal – Response to Cyclones and Floods in Madagascar". All Africa.
33. "Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert". Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
34. (29 November 2021). "Glenda (was 14S - South Indian Ocean)". NASA.
35. (March 12, 2015). "Kabar de solidarité avec les sinistrés de Madagascar". Clicanoo.
36. Karen Walter. (March 11, 2015). "Haliba provoque des inondations à Maurice". Seychelles News Agency.
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39. (March 11, 2015). "Haliba: 6 millions d'euros de dégâts et certains n'auront peut-être rien...". Zinfos 974.
40. (29 November 2021). "Joalane (was 22S - Southern Indian Ocean)". NASA.
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42. Jakarta Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre. (13 December 2014). "Ocean Gale and Storm Warning 13 December 2014 02:02 UTC". Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics.
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44. Joint Typhoon Warning Center. "Tropical Cyclone 03S (Bakung) Warning 13 December 2014 09:00z". United States Navy, United States Airforce.
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46. "Flood death toll across Southern Africa reaches 260". Chicago Tribune.
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