Cyclone Garance

The weak low pressure system called 10 formed on February 24, after several days of development, off the east coast of Madagascar, just over 500 km northwest of Réunion Island. A cyclone warning was issued for Réunion Island and Mauritius by Météo-France La Réunion (MFR). At 00:00 UTC on the 25th, the MFR upgraded the system to a tropical depression. At 10:00 UTC, the tropical depression intensified into a moderate tropical storm and was named Garance by the Malagasy meteorological service.

Continuing to intensify, Garance became a tropical cyclone on February 26 as it moved toward Réunion Island. The latter island was placed on an orange cyclone alert, while Mauritius was upgraded to a Class III cyclone warning. After 00:00 UTC on the 27th, the MFR upgraded the system to an intense cyclone while it was approximately 300 km north of Réunion, equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The alert was raised to red in Réunion (marine submersion, winds, and rain) during the day.

On February 28 at 05:00 UTC, the prefect of Réunion issued a purple alert (a curfew including emergency services, which were no longer permitted to travel except with special authorization), for the second time in the island's history. Around 6:00 UTC, Garance, downgraded to a tropical cyclone, made landfall on the northern coast of the island. The atmospheric pressure in Saint-Denis, near the center of the eye, was 975 hPa, and 10-minute sustained winds were estimated at 85 knots (157 km/h), lower than at its apex. The eye crossed Réunion Island from north to south, from Sainte-Suzanne to Saint-Louis. By 12:00 UTC, the system had downgraded to a severe tropical storm after reaching 130 km south-southwest of the island, and the alert had been lowered to red.

On March 1 at 12:00 UTC, Garance continued to weaken, downgraded to a moderate tropical storm with very reduced convective activity, more than 900 km south of Réunion Island, which was placed in the safeguard phase. At 0600 UTC on March 2, Garance reached colder waters and the MFR issued its final bulletin reclassifying it as a post-tropical cyclone nearly 1,400 km south-southeast of Réunion.

Réunion

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. A higher alert, the purple alert, was then issued in Réunion on 28 February as the cyclone neared the island.

At least four people were killed in Réunion due to the cyclone, while two others were reported missing. Garance also left 42% of the island's customers without power.

Cyclone Garance brought extreme weather conditions, with winds gusting to 214 km/h (133 mph), 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.

Mauritius

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.

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.