news weather
By Cyril BONNEFOY, Meteorologist
Posted 2/16/23, updated 2/18/23 4pm
The violent tropical cyclone called Freddy threatens to hit Réunion but also Mauritius early next week, between Monday and Tuesday.
Now in Category 4, Freddy is sailing west of the Indian Ocean Basin at a speed of 22 km/h. It was due to reach Mauritius, Réunion and Madagascar between Monday and Tuesday, raising fears of significant damage, although uncertainties remain over its trajectory.
A compact cyclone that generates wind speeds in excess of 250 km/h
This Saturday, Hurricane Freddy is more than 1500 km northeast of the coast of La Réunion. Quite compact with a width of 650 km, it already generates winds of almost 250 km/h close by and an easterly swell that reaches 5 to 9 meters. This system will pass north of the Mascarene archipelago on Sunday.
Réunion and Mauritius were affected by its passage on Monday and Tuesday 150 km from the coast
It is rare for a cyclone to hit Reunion directly. If the modeled trajectories still differ somewhat, the Category 4 cyclone should be circulating north of Mauritius and Réunion.
Although distant from Mauritius and Réunion, no modeling to date predicts a direct impact on Réunion Island or Mauritius. However, the impact of such a cyclone could be significant, particularly due to the swell with waves of 9 to 10 meters and winds in excess of 100 km/h on the most exposed mountain peaks.
As for precipitation, the heaviest accumulations of precipitation could reach 150-200mm on the wind-exposed slopes and mountains, with a moderate risk of flooding and flooding in the north and east of the island.
The tracking of the development of this system will be updated with our next updates.