Since 1656, at least 300 tropical cyclones have affected the Mascarene Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. The archipelago consists of several islands, including Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues. Mauritius claims responsibility for several Outer Islands, including St. Brandon and Agaléga, and has disputed territorial claims of Tromelin Island and the Chagos Archipelago. The deadliest tropical cyclone to affect the region was one that struck Mauritius in 1892, which killed 1,200 people, left 50,000 people homeless, and destroyed one-third of the capital Port Louis.
Since 1950, there have been 249 human fatalities related to tropical cyclones in the Mascarene Islands. The deadliest storms since then were cyclones Carol in 1960, which killed 42 on Mauritius, and Jenny in 1962, which killed 17 on Mauritius and 32 on Réunion. The storms' close succession led to improved building codes. All known worldwide tropical cyclone precipitation records occurred on Réunion. This included a storm in 1958 that dropped 2,467 mm (97.1 in) of rainfall at Aurere over 48 hours. During a 24-hour period in January 1966, Cyclone Denise dropped 1,825 mm (71.9 in) of rainfall at Foc Foc, of which 1,144 mm (45.0 in) fell over 12 hours; both precipitation totals set records for their respective durations. In 1968, Cyclone Monique produced the highest wind gust on Rodrigues – 276 km/h (171 mph) at a station in the mountainous interior. The highest recorded wind gust on Mauritius – 280 km/h (170 mph) at Mon Desert – occurred when Cyclone Gervaise struck the island in February 1975; the cyclone killed 10 people on the island and caused about US$200 million in damage.
During the 1980s, 27 cyclones affected the archipelago, beginning with Cyclone Hyacinthe, the wettest tropical cyclone on record after it dropped 6,083 mm (239.5 in) of rainfall over 14 days in January 1980 at Commerson Crater in the mountainous peaks of Réunion. In 1989, Cyclone Firinga caused US$217 million in damage from its high wind gusts. In the 1990s, 34 storms affected the Mascarene Islands, most notably Cyclone Bella in 1990, which damaged or destroyed 1,500 homes on Rodrigues, as well as Cyclone Hollanda, which caused the Mauritius gross domestic product to decline by 10%. Since 2000, 64 storms affected the archipelago. In 2002, Cyclone Dina produced the highest wind gusts on Réunion, reaching 277 km/h (172 mph). Cyclone Gamede dropped record rainfall over a four-day period in 2007, when Commerson Crater in Réunion's mountainous interior recorded 4,869 mm (191.7 in) of rainfall, breaking the world record for the most precipitation recorded over 72 hours and 96 hours, set previously during Cyclone Hyacinthe in 1980. The most recent storm to affect the island group was Cyclone Joaninha in March 2019.
The Mascarene Islands are located in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. The island group has been known to the Arab world since the 10th century, and to Europeans since the 16th century. In 1638, the Dutch started a colony on Mauritius, but abandoned it after a severe cyclone struck in 1695. The French settled nearby Réunion in 1655, and colonized Mauritius in 1715, naming it Isle de France. During the Napoleonic Wars, the British took over Mauritius, maintaining possession of the island until 1968 when Mauritius became independent. The British also briefly took possession of Réunion from 1810 to 1815, until it was returned to France, which operates the island as an overseas department.[1]
According to a study from 1989, on average two storms pass within 320 km (200 mi) of Réunion or Mauritius each year, with a landfall about every five years.[2]
| Month | Number of storms |
|---|---|
| January | 80
|
| February | 95
|
| March | 60
|
| April | 27
|
| May | 3
|
| September | 1
|
| October | 1
|
| November | 5
|
| December | 28
|
| Period | Number of storms |
|---|---|
| 1600s | 2
|
| 1700s | 8
|
| 1800s | 5
|
| 1900–49 | 8
|
| 1950s | 2
|
| 1960s | 43
|
| 1970s | 41
|
| 1980s | 29
|
| 1990s | 34
|
| 2000s | 42
|
| 2010s | 25
|