Cyclone Garance

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Météo-France started monitoring an area of disturbed weather that would become Garance on 24 February. It was spotted on the northeastern part of Madagascar and moved away from the island before gradually intensifying to moderate tropical storm the next day, receiving the name Garance as a result. Through the next couple of days, Garance moved southwards and entered a rapid intensification phase. It would become an intense tropical cyclone on 27 February, and made landfall at 10:00 Réunion time near Sainte-Suzanne, in the north part of Réunion as a tropical cyclone.

File:ECDM 20250303 SAIO TCs activity.pdf

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Ahead of the cyclone, schools were closed in Réunion on the afternoon of 26 February, with a red alert being raised at 19:00 Réunion time the next day.{{cite news|quote=The red alert will be triggered at 7.00 pm, authorities announced, with the cyclone expected to reach its closest point to the island early Friday. A red alert measure requires the population to stay indoors and only emergency services can move around the island. Schools were closed from Wednesday afternoon. |url=https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20250228-cyclone-garance-puts-mauritius-la-reunion-on-high-alert |publisher=France 24 |access-date=28 February 2025 |date=28 February 2025 |title=Cyclone Garance puts Mauritius, La Reunion on high alert}} A higher alert – the purple alert – was then issued in Réunion on 28 February as the cyclone neared the island.{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20250228-cyclone-garance-puts-mauritius-la-reunion-on-high-alert |title=La Reunion island under 'purple alert' as Cyclone Garance approaches |access-date=28 February 2025 |publisher=France 24|date=28 February 2025 }}

At least four people were killed in Réunion due to the cyclone, while two others were reported missing.{{Cite web |date=March 1, 2025 |title=Four dead after cyclone Garance hits French island of La Reunion |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/four-dead-after-cyclone-garance-hits-french-island-la-reunion-2025-03-01/ |publisher=Reuters}} Garance also left 42% of the island's customers without power.{{Cite news|title=One dead, two missing as cyclone Garance hits French island of La Reunion|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/reunion-issue-highest-threat-warning-cyclone-approaches-authorities-say-2025-02-28/|publisher=Reuters|date=28 February 2025|access-date=28 February 2025}}

Cyclone Garance brought extreme weather conditions, with winds gusting to {{convert|214|km/h|mph|abbr=on}},{{Cite web |date=2025-02-28 |title=Cyclone Garance hits French Indian Ocean island of Reunion; police report 3 deaths |url=https://apnews.com/article/reunion-island-cyclone-garance-damages-d20ddf429639502e67f97089626bc7ec#:~:text=Authorities%20said%20847%20people%20sought,and%20windows%20of%20many%20buildings. |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=AP News |publisher=Associated Press|language=en-us}} torrential rainfall, and severe flooding across the islands. The destruction has been immense, affecting infrastructure, homes, and essential services. In addition, over a thousand people have been displaced from their homes and are currently being housed in emergency shelters.

Schools were closed for two days due to the bad weather in Mauritius. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport was temporarily closed due to these weather conditions.{{cite news|language=en-us|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-26/mauritius-to-shut-down-airport-as-tropical-storm-intensifies|title=Mauritius to Shut Down Airport as Tropical Storm Intensifies|author=Kamlesh Bhuckory|publisher=Bloomberg News|date=26 February 2025|access-date=16 April 2025}}{{cite news|language=en-gb|title=Tropical storm forces closure of Mauritius international airport|url=https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tropical-storm-forces-closure-of-mauritius-international-airport|website=Travel Weekly|publisher=Jacobs Media|date=27 February 2025|access-date=16 April 2025}}

The cyclone caused adverse weather conditions on the island. High swell warnings were issued, with waves reaching 5 to 7 meters in the open sea, increasing the risk of coastal flooding, particularly on the north and west coasts.

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• Tropical cyclones in 2025
• Weather of 2025
• Tropical cyclones in the Mascarene Islands
• Cyclone Belal (2024) – the last tropical cyclone to strike Réunion before Garance

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Category:2025 in Madagascar

Category:2024–25 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season

Category:Cyclones in Madagascar