Intense Cyclone Garance to hit Reunion
Garance is barreling toward the French island of Reunion, likely to become the first hurricane-force cyclone to strike the island in 36 years.
Tropical Cyclone Garance is forecast to track near Reunion, a French island in the southern Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. Reunion is about the size of Rhode Island and is home to around 900,000 residents. Meteo France has issued a red warning for the island, citing high waves, which have already reached the island and high winds.
Meteo France said Cyclone Garance was an "intense cyclone" Thursday evening local time, with winds equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale.
"Garance will impact Reunion with heavy rain later Thursday night through Friday, with several inches of rain likely. Localized amounts could be as high as 2 feet," AccuWeather Lead International Expert Jason Nicholls explained.
"Wind gusts to 150 mph are possible which will lead to damage. Coastal flooding and high seas are likely around the island until the storm passes," he added.
This photograph shows the swell on the coast as the tropical system "Garance" approaches in Saint-Denis de la Reunion, on the French overseas territory island of La Reunion on February 26, 2025. The island of Reunion will be placed under a red cyclone alert from 7.00 pm on February 27, 2025, when cyclone Garance, described as "dangerous" by Meteo France, is due to arrive, the prefecture has announced. If it maintains its current trajectory, the cyclone should pass "less than 50 km" inland, "during the evening of February 27 to 28", or even early February 28 morning, at least at the stage of a tropical cyclone", said the prefecture in a statement published early February 27 morning. (Photo by Richard BOUHET / AFP / GETTY)
Reunion's cyclone history
Dozens of tropical storms have tracked near, and caused damage to, the island of Reunion over the years, though direct hits from a hurricane-force cyclone are rare. Severe cyclones in 1806 and 1807 caused the island to switch its main agricultural output from coffee to sugar cane, which is not in season during the southern Indian tropical cyclone season, running from November to April.
Most recent near-misses include Cyclone Fakir in 2018, a Category 1 equivalent on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and Category 3 Cyclone Bejisa 2013. A direct hit on the island as a hurricane hasn't happened since Cyclone Firinga in 1989, which was a Category 2. Before that, the only other hurricane on record to hit the island directly was Cyclone Beryl in 1961.
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