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 262 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 of rainfall at Aurere over 48 hours. During a 24-hour period in January 1966, Cyclone Denise dropped of rainfall at Foc Foc, of which fell over 12 hours; both precipitation totals set records for their respective durations. In 1968, Cyclone Monique produced the highest wind gust on Rodrigues – at a station in the mountainous interior. The highest recorded wind gust on Mauritius – 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 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 . Cyclone Gamede dropped record rainfall over a four-day period in 2007, when Commerson Crater in Réunion's mountainous interior recorded 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 Garance in February 2025.
Background and climatology 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.
According to a study from 1989, on average two storms pass within of Réunion or Mauritius each year, with a landfall about every five years.
List of storms Pre-1800s 1615 – A storm on Mauritius wrecked the ship Peter's Booth. February 9, 1695 – A powerful cyclone struck Mauritius, destroying much of the island. January 25, 1710 – A powerful cyclone struck Mauritius, sinking a boat that was intended to evacuate the island's Dutch population. Residents drowned while crossing streams to reach a ship on the other side of the island. December 23, 1723 – A powerful cyclone affected Mauritius. February 4, 1731 – The public archives in Mauritius were destroyed by a passing cyclone. March 13, 1734 – A powerful cyclone passed near Mauritius. March 8, 1743 – A strong cyclone passed near Mauritius. February 1748 – A strong storm
1800s
February 1800 1806 – A storm affected Mauritius during the year. February 3, 1807 – February 26, 1807 – March 6, 1811 – March 21, 1811 – February 26, 1812 – February 19, 1813 – February 3, 1814 – April 19, 1814 – February 6, 1815 – February 17, 1815 – January 22, 1816 – February 14, 1817 – March 1, 1818 – A cyclone passed near Mauritius, where a barometric pressure of was recorded; this was one of the earliest reports of atmospheric pressure associated with a tropical cyclone in the region. January 25, 1819 – March 29, 1819 – December 15, 1820 – February 21, 1823 – March 6, 1823 – February 23, 1824 – April 11, 1824 – December 6, 1824 – March 10, 1825 – February 24, 1826 – December 27, 1826 – January 8, 1827 – March 6, 1828 – March 25, 1828 – February 7, 1829 – March 27, 1830 – April 4, 1830 – March 4, 1832 – April 10, 1833 – January 20, 1834 – February 21, 1834 – April 30, 1834 – January 20, 1835 – March 5, 1836 – February 15, 1837 – April 10, 1840 – January 16, 1841 – January 16, 1843 – April 1843 – Rodrigues January 4, 1844 – February 20, 1844 – March 20, 1844 – December 20, 1844 – March 8, 1845 – January 28, 1847 – February 1847 – On an unknown date, a cyclone affected Mauritius. March 8, 1848 – February 28, 1850 – March 20, 1851 – January 9, 1852 – January 23, 1852 – January 14, 1853 – March 5, 1853 – February 10, 1854 – January 22, 1855 – April 27, 1855 – February 2, 1856 – April 3, 1856 – December 1857 1879 – 35 deaths April 29, 1892 – A powerful cyclone killed 1,200 people and injured 4,000 others on Mauritius. For 65 minutes, the eyewall of the storm moved across the island, producing sustained winds of , gusts of , and a barometric pressure of . In about six hours, the cyclone knocked down 200,000 trees, left 50,000 people homeless, and wrecked about one-third of the capital Port Louis. January 12, 1895 –
1900s March 21, 1904 – A cyclone struck Réunion's capital, killing 24 people. March 5, 1931 – wind gusts February 4, 1932 – A small but powerful storm crossed Réunion, leaving around 100 deaths. January 16, 1945 – A cyclone struck Mauritius, producing wind gusts of . 13 deaths February 1, 1945 – A cyclone passed south of Mauritius, where wind gusts reached . April 7, 1945 – The eye of a cyclone struck Réunion, producing wind gusts of over . The storm killed 13 people and left over F300 million (US$6 million) in damage. January 30, 1946 – A cyclone passed near Mauritius, producing wind gusts of . January 26, 1948 – A cyclone struck 165 deaths, wind gusts estimated –
1950s March 17, 1952 1870 mm April 6–9, 1958 – A cyclone passed about west of Réunion, dropping of rainfall at Aurere over 48 hours; the total set record the highest precipitation amount worldwide for that amount of time.
1960s
January 19, 1960 – Cyclone Alix passed between Réunion and Mauritius, producing wind gusts of . Alix killed eight people on Mauritius and injured more than 100 others. The cyclone destroyed more than 20,000 huts and buildings, leaving 21,000 people homeless. February 27, 1960 – Cyclone Carol struck Mauritius, producing wind gusts of , the strongest on record at the time and only surpassed by Cyclone Gervaise in 1975. Carol killed 42 people on Mauritius and seriously injured 95 others. The storm destroyed or seriously damaged about 100,000 houses, leaving over 15% of the island's population homeless, or over 100,000 people, of whom 70,000 stayed in emergency shelters. The high winds also wrecked about 60% of the sugar crop. Storm damage was estimated at RS450 million (US$95 million). December 25, 1961 – Cyclone Beryl passed just west of Mauritius, producing wind gusts of , Later, the storm struck Réunion February 28, 1962 – Cyclone Jenny brushed the north coast of Mauritius, producing wind gusts of . On the island, the storm killed 17 people, destroyed 1,300 buildings, and left more than 8,000 people homeless. Later that day, the storm struck Réunion, killing 36 people; wind gusts at the Roland Garros Airport reached . Jenny destroyed 3,851 homes on Réunion and severely damaged another 2,619, many of them wooden, leaving about 20,000 people homeless. The storm also destroyed crops, and wrecked about 80% of the island's telephone lines. After the close succession of Carol and Jenny, officials rebuilt most homes with concrete to withstand future storms. April 9, 1962 – Cyclone Maud passed near Rodrigues, producing wind gusts of . October 13, 1962 – Weakening Tropical Storm Amy passed north of Rodrigues, producing hailstorms on the island. The storm also dropped heavy rainfall and produced moderate waves on Réunion. December 4, 1962 – Cyclone Bertha passed between Mauritius and Rodrigues, producing gusty winds. December 25, 1962 – Tropical Storm Cecile produced winds of while passing just east of St. Brandon. January 14, 1963 – Cyclone Delia brushed St. Brandon with wind gusts. The cyclone also produced high seas along the Mascarenes while exiting the region. February 10, 1963 – Developing Tropical Storm Fanny produced gusty winds and high seas in St. Brandon and Réunion before striking Madagascar. February 19, 1963 – Tropical Storm Grace passed just west of Rodrigues, bringing wind gusts of . March 4, 1963 – Tropical Storm Irene brought gusty winds to St. Brandon and Tromelin while developing and exiting the region. March 9, 1963 – Cyclone Julie brushed Rodrigues with gusty winds while passing east of the island. December 24, 1963 – Tropical Storm Betty brushed St. Brandon with wind gusts of . January 20, 1964 – Cyclone Danielle crossed between Réunion and Mauritius, producing wind gusts of in the latter island. Over three days, the storm dropped heavy rainfall, reaching . February 6, 1964 – Tropical Storm Eileen passed between Réunion and Madagascar, producing increased winds in the Mascarenes. February 28, 1964 – Cyclone Giselle passed just northwest of Réunion, producing wind gusts of , and heavy rainfall. Over four days, rainfall accumulated to at Belouve, of which fell over 24 hours. The rains caused flooding damage to crops. March 5, 1964 – Tropical Storm Harriet passed north of the Mascarenes and near St. Brandon, generating gusty winds on the islands. April 30, 1964 – Tropical Storm Jose brought gusty winds to Rodrigues while passing to its north. December 5, 1964 – Tropical Disturbance Arlette produced increased winds while passing near St. Brandon, Mauritius, and Rodrigues. December 9, 1964 – Tropical Storm Bessie brought gusty winds to St. Brandon, Réunion, and Mauritius. January 7, 1965 – Cyclone Freda passed between Rodrigues and Mauritius, generating wind gusts of on Rodrigues. January 17, 1965 – Developing Tropical Storm Iris produced wind gusts of on Tromelin. February 6, 1965 – Tropical Depression Judy developed and remained north of the Mascarenes, generating high waves. February 16, 1965 – Tropical Storm Kathleen passed southeast of Rodrigues, generating high waves that reached along the island's southern coast. March 4, 1965 – Tropical Depression Olive passed south of Rodrigues. It produced high seas and scattered thunderstorms as far west as Réunion. May 3, 1965 – Tropical Storm Rose passed west of Réunion, producing wind gusts of , along with heavy rainfall reaching at Plaine des Palmistes. The rains caused a landslide along the Rivière des Remparts.