2021-2022 South-West Indian Ocean Cyclone Season (Disasters GoOn's Version)

The 2021-2022 Southwest Indian Tropical Cyclone season was a deadly tropical cyclone season, with 7 cyclones forming. The storm systems caused massive amounts of death and destruction in Madagascar, Africa, and other nations. The strongest storm of the season was Gonu, a massive hurricane that slammed into Madagascar with 300-mph (480 km/h) winds. The size and intensity of the super cyclone led to a total of 250,000 dead in the nation.

There were several other devastating cyclones that were of a similar caliber.

Cyclone Adjali
Cyclone Adjali formed in the Mozambique Channel on October 15. It made landfall in Madagascar, producing floods that killed 7 people.

Cyclone Bansi
A long-lived cyclone that, fortunately, did not affect land at all.

Cyclone Chedza
Cyclone Chedza was a major tropical cyclone that made landfall in Madagascar, killing over 100 people.

Cyclone Diamondra
Cyclone Diamondra was a very intense tropical cyclone that began approximately 750 miles east of Madagascar on December 15. The storm quickly intensified into a super cyclone, slamming into the northern tip of Madagascar at peak strength, killing over 100 people. The storm then slammed into Mozambique, killing another 400.

Cyclone Francine
Cyclone Francine was a long-lived tropical cyclone that made landfall in Madagascar as an 800-mile-wide tropical cyclone, killing over 10,000 people in the country. The storm system crossed the country and continued southward into the capital of Mozambique as a Category 3 tropical cyclone, killing over 500 people.

Cyclone Glenda
Cyclone Glenda struck Madagascar and Mozambique, killing hundreds.

Cyclone Hakla
Cyclone Hakla formed on February 20 in the Australian Ocean Basin. The storm system grew quickly due to SST's exceeding 95*F (35*C), combined with super-warm ocean depths and a cool tropopause. The storm grew into a Category 5 cyclone in 24 hours. The storm system moved across the ocean at a rate of between 7 mph (11 km/h) and 10 mph (16 km/h), growing in strength and size. It reached peak intensity four days after developing, and it remained that level for several more days.

During its peak intensification, Hakla reached a maximum diameter exceeding 2,000 miles (3,200 km), making it the largest storm in the Southern Hemisphere. The storm eventually hit the city of Toamasina, Madagascar on March 9, producing a storm surge of 60 feet (18 meters). The 35-mile-wide radius of maximum winds produced wind speeds of up to 300 mph (480 km/h), killing over 250,000 people. The storm then crossed through the country, killing tens of thousands more. Hakla passed into the Mozambique Channel, moving south at a speed of up to 20 mph (32 km/h). The cyclone hits the city of Maputo, Mozambique, killing thousands more. All told, the cyclone caused over $50 billion in damage, and left over 325,000 dead.

(to be continued...)

Records
Until 2025-2026, Cyclone Hakla became the deadliest, costliest, and most powerful South-west Indian Ocean cyclone ever known. It was also one of the most long-lived in the region's history.