1972–73 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season

The 1972–73 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was an above-average cyclone season. The season officially ran from November 1, 1972, to April 30, 1973.

1972–73 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formed26 November 1972
Last system dissipated3 May 1973
Strongest storm
NameLydie
  Maximum winds220 km/h (140 mph)
(10-minute sustained)
  Lowest pressure910 hPa (mbar)
Seasonal statistics
Total disturbances13
Total depressions12
Total storms11
Tropical cyclones4
Intense tropical cyclones2
Very intense tropical cyclones1
Total fatalities11
Total damageUnknown
Related articles

Systems

Severe Tropical Storm Ariane

Severe tropical storm (MFR)
Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
 
DurationNovember 26 – December 5
Peak intensity110 km/h (70 mph) (10-min);

Ariana passed north of Mauritius and later executed a loop southeast of the island. The storm brought heavy rainfall and wind gusts of 92 km/h (57 mph).[1]

Severe Tropical Storm Ivy–Beatrice

Severe tropical storm (MFR)
Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
 
DurationDecember 9 (Crossed 80°E) – December 25
Peak intensity110 km/h (70 mph) (10-min);
≤988 hPa (mbar)

Moderate Tropical Storm Charlotte

Moderate tropical storm (MFR)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationJanuary 3 – January 12
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min);

Charlotte passed just southwest of Réunion on January 8, producing 102 km/h (63 mph) wind gusts, as well as heavy rainfall reaching 813 mm (32.0 in) at Riviere de L'Est. The rains damaged crops and flooded roads, which killed one person due to drowning.[2]

Moderate Tropical Storm Dorothee

Moderate tropical storm (MFR)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationJanuary 10 – January 16
Peak intensity65 km/h (40 mph) (10-min);

Dorothee produced a series of thunderstorms on Réunion while the storm passed to the southwest.[3]

Tropical Disturbance Emmanuelle

Tropical disturbance (MFR)
Tropical depression (SSHWS)
 
DurationJanuary 17 – January 20
Peak intensity45 km/h (30 mph) (10-min);

Tropical Depression Faustine

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationJanuary 17 – January 22
Peak intensity65 km/h (40 mph) (1-min);

Intense Tropical Cyclone Leila–Gertrude

Intense tropical cyclone (MFR)
Category 3 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
 
DurationJanuary 24 (Crossed 80°E) – February 3
Peak intensity175 km/h (110 mph) (10-min);

Cyclone Gertrude brushed eastern Rodrigues on January 31, producing 169 km/h (105 mph), as well as 296.4 mm (11.67 in) of rainfall.[4]

Severe Tropical Storm Hortense

Severe tropical storm (MFR)
Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
 
DurationJanuary 24 – February 2
Peak intensity100 km/h (65 mph) (10-min);

On February 2, Hortense passed south of Réunion, bringing rainfall to the island.[5]

Tropical Cyclone Jessy

Tropical cyclone (MFR)
Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
 
DurationFebruary 14 – February 26
Peak intensity155 km/h (100 mph) (10-min);

On February 21, Jessy struck Rodrigues, bringing heavy rainfall and 221 km/h (137 mph) wind gusts, causing power outages.[6][7]

Severe Tropical Storm Isis

Severe tropical storm (MFR)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationFebruary 15 – February 19
Peak intensity100 km/h (65 mph) (10-min);

Severe Tropical Storm Kitty

Severe tropical storm (MFR)
Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
 
DurationFebruary 27 – March 5
Peak intensity110 km/h (70 mph) (10-min);

On March 1, Kitty struck Rodrigues, causing power outages.[8][7]

Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Lydie

Very intense tropical cyclone (MFR)
Category 4 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
 
DurationMarch 5 – March 16
Peak intensity220 km/h (140 mph) (10-min);
910 hPa (mbar)

This is the first "Very intense tropical cyclone" in the South-West Indian Ocean.

On March 10, Lydie passed west of Réunion, producing wind gusts of 162 km/h (101 mph) in the mountainous peaks. For four days, the storm dropped heavy rainfall on the island, reaching 655 mm (25.8 in). Flooding killed 10 people on the island, and caused crop damage.[9][10]

Tropical Cyclone Roma

Severe tropical storm (MFR)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationApril 18 – April 23
Peak intensity100 km/h (65 mph) (10-min);
982 hPa (mbar)

Cyclone Roma existed from April 18 to April 23.

Tropical Cyclone Marcelle

Tropical cyclone (MFR)
Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
 
DurationMay 1 (Crossed 80°E) – May 3 (Crossed 90°E)
Peak intensity130 km/h (80 mph) (10-min);
972 hPa (mbar)

See also

  • Atlantic hurricane seasons: 1972, 1973
  • Eastern Pacific hurricane seasons: 1972, 1973
  • Western Pacific typhoon seasons: 1972, 1973
  • North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1972, 1973

References

  1. Hurricane Ariane, 26 November-2 December. National Climatic Data Center (Report). Global tropical/extratropical cyclone climatic atlas. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  2. Hurricane Charlotte, 2-12 January. National Climatic Data Center (Report). Global tropical/extratropical cyclone climatic atlas. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  3. Tropical Storm Dorothee, 11-15 January. National Climatic Data Center (Report). Global tropical/extratropical cyclone climatic atlas. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  4. Hurricane Gertrude, 22 January-3 February. National Climatic Data Center (Report). Global tropical/extratropical cyclone climatic atlas. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  5. Hurricane Hortense, 24-5 February. National Climatic Data Center (Report). Global tropical/extratropical cyclone climatic atlas. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  6. Hurricane Jessy, 14-27 March. National Climatic Data Center (Report). Global tropical/extratropical cyclone climatic atlas. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  7. Marc Serge Rivièr (December 2015). Lighting the way ahead: History of Electricity in Mauritius (1880–2015) (PDF). Mauritius Central Electricity Board. ISBN 978-99949-0-270-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  8. Hurricane Kitty, 25 February-5 March. National Climatic Data Center (Report). Global tropical/extratropical cyclone climatic atlas. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  9. Hurricane Lydie, 4-15 March. National Climatic Data Center (Report). Global tropical/extratropical cyclone climatic atlas. 1996. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  10. "Le "club des 500 mm"" (in French). Meteo-France. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
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