Cyclone Freddy makes landfall in Madagascar
The powerful winds from Cyclone Freddy howled through the island nation of Mauritius on Feb. 20. The storm is expected to make landfall in Madagascar on the evening of Feb. 21.
Fierce Tropical Cyclone Freddy made landfall in Madagascar on Tuesday, and experts say life-threatening impacts can accompany the formidable cyclone for several more days.
Freddy landed to the north of Mananjary, a town on Madagascar’s eastern coastline, around 8:30 p.m. local time Tuesday. Meteo France La Reunion, the government agency responsible for tracking storms in this part of the Indian Ocean, estimated Freddy’s maximum sustained winds at 68 mph (110 km/h), with gusts to 96 mph (155 km/h) at 10:26 p.m., local time, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
According to the Associated Press, at least one death has been blamed on the storm in Madagascar.
As of 10:26 p.m., local time, Freddy was churning about 600 miles (970 km) to the south-southeast of the island of Mayotte, moving west-southwest at 17 mph (28 km/h).
Freddy has been closely monitored by AccuWeather meteorologists since its beginnings in the far eastern Indian Ocean, just northwest of Australia, in early February. In fact, Freddy's westward path was considered a bit unusual. No other tropical cyclones observed in this part of the world have taken such a path across the Indian Ocean in the past two decades, according to AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls.
"Only two other cyclones have taken a track from the eastern Indian Ocean to near Madagascar, and they were Hudah and Leone, also known as Eline, in 2000," Nicholls said.
This animation of Intense Tropical Cyclone Freddy was captured on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (AccuWeather Enhanced RealVue™ satellite)
Freddy moved just to the north of the islands of Mauritius and Réunion (the Mascarene Islands) Monday night into Tuesday morning, local time, where 45 mm (1.80 inches) of rainfall and wind gusts of 94 km/h (58 mph) were recorded in the town of Vacoas, Mauritius. The islands were spared the worst of Freddy’s impacts, as the storm remained to the north of the islands, providing a glancing blow rather than a direct strike.
Freddy is forecast to remain a formidable cyclone as it reaches Madagascar. AccuWeather experts warn that there will be a significant risk to life and property in the country as a result of the direct strike.
The cyclone will continue its tear across the country around the middle of the week, sweeping through some of the same areas that faced days of flooding rain and damaging winds from Tropical Cyclone Cheneso in January.
The track of Freddy as seen on AccuWeather's Hurricane Tracker.
Rainfall amounts of 4-8 inches (100-200 mm) can occur along the path of the storm, increasing the threat of flash flooding. Damage to trees and infrastructure will be most extensive near where the center of the storm crashes onshore. Wind gusts can remain high enough even after the storm loses some intensity over land for trees and power lines to topple, especially where the ground is or will become saturated.
"It looks like the worst of the impacts will remain south and east of the country's capital of Antananarivo, but they could still receive 1-2 inches of rain with wind gusts up to 40 mph," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Smithmyer said.
Freddy will be the strongest cyclone to threaten the nation since deadly Cyclone Batsirai ripped through the region in early February 2022.
"Last season was a rough one for the country, with six landfalling storms over the span of just a month from January to February," Nicholls said.
RealVue™ Satellite
Cyclone Freddy
Freddy's legacy may not end beyond Madagascar.
"Freddy will likely shift into the Mozambique Channel, where it will continue to gradually track to the west and eventually push into Mozambique by late week," Smithmyer said.
Central and southern portions of that country may be at the highest risk to face Freddy's second landfall by the end of the week, which would mark nearly three weeks since the storm's initial formation.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
