{"id":292983,"date":"2024-10-10T07:16:07","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T06:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/real-estate-mauritius.mu\/weather-forecasts-cyclone-season-2024-2025-waiting-for-a-lile-maurice\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:47:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T06:47:44","slug":"cyclone-season-mauritius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/real-estate-mauritius.mu\/en\/cyclone-season-mauritius\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyclone Season in Mauritius: Dates, Warnings and Preparation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mauritius officially runs its cyclone season from 15 November to 15 May.<\/strong> The country uses a four-class warning system, defined in regulation and built around a single trigger: gusts of 120 km\/h. Understanding what each class actually requires \u2014 and what it does not \u2014 is what separates a season handled calmly from a season endured.<\/p>\n

This page is updated every season. Official sources last checked: 2 September 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When is cyclone season in Mauritius?<\/h2>\n

In the South-West Indian Ocean basin, the cyclone season begins on 15 November<\/strong> and ends on 30 April<\/strong>. Mauritius and the Seychelles are the exception: for both countries it runs through to 15 May<\/strong>, reflecting an exposure that extends later into the year.<\/p>\n

These dates are administrative, not meteorological. They define the official watch period, not the window in which a system can form. Off-season systems do occur, and they are monitored in exactly the same way.<\/p>\n

Historically, the most active window falls between January and March<\/strong>. That is when the strongest systems track through the area, and also when accumulated rainfall causes the most disruption.<\/p>\n

The reference centre for the whole basin is RSMC La R\u00e9union<\/strong>, designated as such on 1 July 1993. It tracks and classifies the systems. Naming, however, is delegated to the meteorological services of Mauritius and Madagascar.<\/p>\n

The four warning classes: what they actually mean<\/h2>\n

This is the most widely misunderstood point, including among long-settled residents. The Mauritian classes do not<\/strong> measure the strength of a cyclone. They measure how much time you have left<\/strong> before gusts of 120 km\/h.<\/p>\n

Put differently: a Class II is not “a medium cyclone”. It is a countdown. Here are the official definitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Class<\/th>\nOfficial definition<\/th>\nWhat it means for you<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Class I<\/strong><\/td>\nIssued not less than 36 hours, nor more than 48 hours, before the occurrence of gusts of 120 km\/h.<\/td>\nPreparation phase. Everything still works normally. This is when you shop and secure the outside \u2014 not later.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Class II<\/strong><\/td>\nIssued so as to allow, as far as practicable, 12 hours of daylight before the occurrence of gusts of 120 km\/h.<\/td>\nSchools close. Normal life winds down. Any remaining outdoor work finishes now.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Class III<\/strong><\/td>\nIssued so as to allow, as far as practicable, 6 hours of daylight before the occurrence of gusts of 120 km\/h.<\/td>\nStay home. Travel becomes dangerous and services shut down.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Class IV<\/strong><\/td>\nIssued when gusts of 120 km\/h are recorded in some places and are expected to continue.<\/td>\nThe event is under way. Do not go outside for any reason.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Two practical consequences follow from these definitions.<\/p>\n

Class I is the most useful, and the one people ignore.<\/strong> It gives you a full day or two. By Class II, the essentials should already be done.<\/p>\n

Classes do not necessarily escalate in order.<\/strong> A system does not march mechanically from I to IV. A warning can be lifted at Class I if the track moves away, or jump straight to a higher class if the system accelerates.<\/p>\n

Ending a warning, and the safety bulletin<\/h3>\n

Lifting a Class III or Class IV goes through a safety bulletin<\/strong>, which also serves to inform the public of any persisting severe weather. Warnings end after consultation with, and on the advice of, the National Crisis Committee<\/strong>, once outdoor risks have considerably decreased.<\/p>\n

That nuance matters: the end of the warning is not the end of the danger. Downed lines, blocked roads, swollen rivers and debris remain real hazards after the all-clear.<\/p>\n

What the 2025-2026 season actually delivered<\/h2>\n

A factual record beats a general impression. The past season produced nine named systems<\/strong>: Awo, Blossom, Chenge, Dudzai, Ewetse, Fytia, Gezani, Horacio and Indusa.<\/p>\n

None made direct landfall on Mauritius.<\/strong> Tropical Cyclone Dudzai passed roughly 300 kilometres south-east of the island \u2014 close enough to track carefully, too far to cause major damage on the mainland.<\/p>\n

Rodrigues, however, was affected<\/strong> by Tropical Depression 12, which brought 80 to 140 mm of rain in under 24 hours, along with flooding and infrastructure damage.<\/p>\n

That episode illustrates the single most important point on this page: in Mauritius, the dominant risk is not wind, it is water.<\/strong> Year after year, rainfall accumulation and flash flooding cause more disruption than the gusts themselves. A system that never reaches Class III can still produce serious flooding.<\/p>\n

2026-2027 forecast: what is actually known today<\/h2>\n

Let us be precise, because a great deal of published content is not: as of 2 September 2026, no seasonal cyclone forecast has been published for the 2026-2027 season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most recent publication from the Mauritius Meteorological Services is the Winter Outlook of 29 April 2026, covering 1 May to 31 October 2026 and dealing with rainfall and temperature \u2014 not cyclone activity.<\/p>\n

Basin seasonal outlooks are normally issued as the season approaches. Any figure circulating today about the number of systems expected in 2026-2027 therefore does not come from an official Mauritian source.<\/p>\n

This section will be updated as soon as the relevant services publish.<\/p>\n

Storm names for the 2026-2027 season<\/h2>\n

The list of 26 names for the South-West Indian Ocean basin has, by contrast, already been settled:<\/p>\n

Agueda \u00b7 Bertrand \u00b7 Celiwe \u00b7 Dira \u00b7 Emmie \u00b7 Fikri \u00b7 Gumbo \u00b7 Hisna \u00b7 Isaura \u00b7 Jeremy \u00b7 Kanga \u00b7 Ludzi \u00b7 Melina \u00b7 Noah \u00b7 Onias \u00b7 Pitsana \u00b7 Quamar \u00b7 Rita \u00b7 Solani \u00b7 Tarik \u00b7 Urilia \u00b7 Vuyane \u00b7 Wafula \u00b7 Xusa \u00b7 Yarona \u00b7 Zacarias.<\/p>\n

Names are assigned by the RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee, with countries in the region submitting their own proposals. Worth noting: Pitsana replaced PETA on 29 June 2026<\/strong>, the original name having clashed with another regional committee’s list.<\/p>\n

Preparing, in practice<\/h2>\n

Useful preparation happens at Class I, or before the season even opens. It comes down to a few points.<\/p>\n

Self-sufficiency.<\/strong> Drinking water, food that needs no cooking, personal medication, batteries, lamps, a charged power bank. Power and water cuts are the most common consequence, and they sometimes outlast the warning itself.<\/p>\n

Fuel.<\/strong> Fill up before Class II. Stations close, and they do not reopen immediately afterwards.<\/p>\n

Outdoors.<\/strong> Anything that can fly becomes a projectile: garden furniture, parasols, planters, sheeting, panels. This is the leading cause of avoidable damage.<\/p>\n

Documents.<\/strong> ID, title deed or lease, insurance policy \u2014 gathered together and kept dry.<\/p>\n

During the event.<\/strong> Stay inside, away from openings. A large share of injuries comes from flying glass or debris, often during a trip outside judged to be brief.<\/p>\n

What cyclone risk changes when you buy in Mauritius<\/h2>\n

Most foreign buyers ask this question, and it deserves an honest answer rather than a reassuring formula.<\/p>\n

Mauritian residential construction is predominantly reinforced concrete, designed for this exposure. Wind alone rarely threatens the structure of a recent, compliant build. The real issue lies elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Before buying, the points worth checking concretely:<\/p>\n