The 2024–25 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was a very active and extremely destructive South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season that was the costliest on record, surpassing the 2018–19 season, mostly due to Cyclone Chido. It was an above-average season that was tied as the third-most active season in the South-West Indian Ocean since records began in 1967, producing thirteen named storms (three of them crossed from the Australian region), nine tropical cyclones, six intense tropical cyclones, and only one very intense tropical cyclone. The season began on 15 November 2024 and ended on 30 April 2025, with the exception of Mauritius and the Seychelles, for which it ended on 15 May 2025. 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 and south of the Equator. However, tropical cyclones can form year-round, with any cyclone forming between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025, such as 01, Ancha, and Bheki, being part of the season.
The first system formed before the official start of the season, Tropical Depression 01, but the disturbance failed to organize into a tropical storm and dissipated on 17 August. In late September, Tropical Storm Ancha formed without making landfall, and a month later, three days before the official start of the season, Tropical Storm Bheki formed, which became the first intense tropical cyclone of the season a few days later, leaving heavy rains in the Mascarene Islands. In mid-December, Tropical Storm Chido formed and rapidly intensified into a Category 4-equivalent tropical cyclone two days later, then made landfall on Agaléga North Island. Chido then peaked as a high-end Category 4 equivalent cyclone before weakening down to a Category 3 then eventually to a Category 2 northeast of Madagascar. The cyclone then rapidly intensified back to a Category 4 equivalent cyclone and made landfall on Mayotte, becoming the strongest landfalling cyclone in the island on record. Chido went on to strike Mozambique as a powerful Category 4 equivalent cyclone. Dikeledi formed on 6 January, gradually intensifying over the next four days until making landfalling in Northern Madagascar as a Category 2 equivalent cyclone on 11 January. The cyclone weakened to a tropical storm south of Mayotte before rapidly strengthening back to Category 2 intensity, making landfall near Nacala at that strength on 13 January.
In late January, two tropical cyclones formed; one of them was the moderate Tropical Storm Faida, which brought heavy rainfall to Madagascar on 5 February. After Faida dissipated, Tropical Cyclone Vince entered the basin from the Australian region on 4 February. Four days later, it became the most intense cyclone of the season and the first very intense tropical cyclone since Cyclone Freddy two years before. At 12 February, Vince had transitioned to being extratropical. At the same day, Taliah had entered the basin fluctuating between a moderate tropical storm and a strong tropical storm before becoming a post-tropical cyclone at 18 February. Six days later, Garance and Honde had formed, Garance receiving its name the day after. Garance intensified rapidly into an Intense Tropical Cyclone, making landfall at Réunion at 28 February as a Category 2. Honde brought heavy rainfall to Mozambique and then southern Madagascar as a Category 1. Jude formed as a disturbance south of the Chagos Islands on 6 March. It intensified at 8 March, receiving its name. Ivone entered the basin on 8 March and on the same day intensified to a Moderate Tropical Storm and received its name. Jude made landfall in Mozambique as a Category 1 at 10 March. Courtney from the Australian region entered the basin on 29 March, becoming an intense tropical cyclone. After nearly a month of inactivity, the final system, Subtropical Storm Kanto was named on 20 April, reaching a peak intensity of 75 km/h (10 minute sustained) winds with a central pressure of 993 hPa. This was the first subtropical storm to receive such a designation from Meteo France, which introduced the category beginning with this cyclone season. Tropical cyclones during this season collectively caused at least 211 deaths and more than $5 billion in damages.
Seasonal forecasts Source/Record Moderate TropicalStorm Very/IntenseTropical CycloneRecord high: 2018–19: 15 2018–19: 9Record low: 1982–83: 3 2010–11: 0 ForecastCenterSystems Météo-France9–13 tropical cyclones Mauritius Meteorological Services11–13 tropical cyclones ForecastCenterChance ofbelow/near/above average Météo-France10%40%50%Source: Seasonal Outlook for Tropical Cyclones.
Seasonal summary
Pre-season/early-season activity The season officially started on 15 November 2024; however, the first system, Tropical Depression 01, formed on 15 August, a whole three months before the official start. In late–September, Moderate Tropical Storm Ancha formed on 30 September and dissipated five days later without making landfall. Three days before the official start of the season, Tropical Storm Bheki formed, which days later became the first intense tropical cyclone in the basin. Bheki caused heavy rainfall in parts of the Mascarene Islands such as Réunion and Rodrigues. After the dissipation of Bheki, Tropical Storm Chido formed on 9 December, and two days later became the second intense tropical cyclone of the season. Chido devastated Agaléga, Mayotte, and Mozambique, and caused hundreds of deaths and injuries.
Peak season activity
Cyclone Dikeledi formed near Java, Indonesia on 30 December 2024, and was named on 9 January. It hit Madagascar as a tropical cyclone, then Mozambique, fluctuating in strength. It peaked as an intense tropical cyclone on 16 January, setting a record for its southerly location, before weakening and becoming extratropical on 17 January. In late January, Moderate Tropical Storm Elvis formed in the southern Mozambique Channel where it brought heavy rain to south-western Madagascar specifically in the Toliara Province but also the Morombe District. Soon after on 28 January RSMC La Réunion started to monitor tropical disturbance 07. It strengthened to Tropical Depression 07 the next day and remained that intensity whilst impacting Rodrigues, where a class 2 cyclone warning was issued, and Mauritius where a class 1 was issued. It also effected Réunion's weather before moving away to the west-north-west towards Madagascar, where it eventually strengthened into Moderate Tropical Storm Faida on 2 February. However, in post-storm analysis Faida was downgraded to tropical depression status.
Early on 4 February, Tropical Cyclone Vince moved into the basin, from the Australian Region. Vince would continue to steadily intensify until 6 February, when Vince underwent rapid intensification, and acquired winds of 155 miles per hour, and a minimum central pressure of 924 millibars. Tropical Cyclone Taliah also moved into the basin from the Australian Region on 12 February at tropical cyclone intensity. On 24 February, two tropical cyclones formed near Madagascar, Garance and Honde, one of which became an intense tropical cyclone three days later. On 24 February, two tropical cyclones formed near Madagascar, Garance and Honde. Garance rapidly intensified, reaching intense tropical cyclone status on 27 February, with peak winds of 110 miles per hour and a minimum central pressure of 951 millibars. Honde, a larger and less intense system, gradually strengthened, reaching tropical cyclone status on 28 February, with peak winds of 75 miles per hour and a minimum central pressure of 968 millibars.
Late season activity
Ivone and Jude formed on 8 March, in the far-eastern South-West Indian Ocean and Mozambique channel, respectively. Ivone reached its peak as a Severe Tropical Storm on 9 March. Ivone turned post-tropical on 11 March. Jude made landfall in Mozambique as a Tropical Cyclone also on 11 March, and dissipated on the same day over Mozambique, but re-emerged as a tropical storm over the Mozambique Channel two days later. On 29 March, Severe Tropical Cyclone Courtney entered in the basin, and later this day it peaked with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) before weakening far from land. It transitioned into an post-tropical cyclone on 31 March.
After a period of nearly a month with little activity, Meteo France began monitoring a weather system far south of Madagascar that showed potential for subtropical development, and on 20 April, it was classified as a subtropical depression; later that same evening, Madagascar's Meteorological services further upgraded it to a subtropical storm, assigning it the name Kanto, which marked the first subtropical storm named by Meteo France.
Systems Tropical Depression 01
On 8 August, the MFR noted that in mid-August, tropical cyclogenesis was possible near the equator due to a westerly wind burst expected to form during the active phase of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). Three days later, a near-equatorial trough formed, with convective activity developing near the trough's axis. Slowly developing, on 13 August, a low-level circulation was seen, with convective bands wrapping around its circulation. Two days later, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began tracking the disturbance, noting that it was in a marginal environment for development. Just a few hours later, the MFR designated the disturbance as Zone of Disturbed Weather 01. Soon after, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) on the disturbance, noting that despite being in an environment with high wind shear, it was intensifying. Later that day, the disturbance had intensified into a tropical depression. However, it weakened into a zone of disturbed weather, and after its window of development ended on 17 August, the MFR issued their last warning on the system. The JTWC soon cancelled their TCFA on the disturbance, noting that it could still develop. As a result, early the next day, the MFR began re-monitoring the disturbance as it was developing despite being in an unfavorable environment. However, as it entered an increasingly dry and sheared environment on 20 August, it degenerated into a remnant low. The JTWC stopped tracking it later that day, as it had dissipated, with the MFR following suit as well.
Severe Tropical Storm Ancha
On 24 September, the MFR noted that tropical cyclogenesis would be possible in late September due to the passage of an equatorial Rossby wave and a Kelvin wave, which would help cause the formation of a temporary near-equatorial trough. The next day, a near-equatorial trough would begin forming, featuring moderate convective activity on its polar side. The JTWC would begin tracking the disturbance late on 30 September, noting that it was in an environment marginally favorable for development east-southeast off Diego Garcia. The next day, the MFR upgraded this system into a tropical depression. The JTWC would upgrade it into Tropical Cyclone 01S later that day, with the MFR following suit the next day, upgrading the depression into Moderate Tropical Storm Ancha. A few hours later, it peaked with 1-minute sustained winds of . Ancha's cloud pattern would improve on 2 October, causing it to peak as a high-end moderate tropical storm with 10-minute sustained winds of . However, the next day, Ancha's low-level circulation began being exposed due to moderate wind shear, extensive dry air, and steadily cooling sea surface temperatures, prompting the JTWC to issue their last warning on it. This caused Ancha to recurve westward due to the subtropical ridge prior to degenerating into a remnant low a few hours later. However, for a short time it regenerated into a moderate tropical storm. Later, increasing tropospheric shear caused this temporary regeneration to end, and the MFR would stop monitoring it on 4 October.
Intense Tropical Cyclone Bheki