Cyclone Freddy

Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Freddy, also known as Severe Tropical Cyclone Freddy, was an exceptionally long-lived, powerful, and deadly tropical cyclone that traversed the southern Indian Ocean for more than five weeks in February and March 2023. Freddy is both the longest-lasting and highest-ACE-producing tropical cyclone ever recorded worldwide, traveling across the southern Indian Ocean, Mozambique, and Madagascar for 37 days and producing 87.01 units of ACE. Additionally, it is the third-deadliest tropical cyclone recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, only behind 2019's Cyclone Idai and the 1973 Flores cyclone. Freddy was the fourth named storm of the 2022–23 Australian region cyclone season, and the second very intense tropical cyclone of the 2022–23 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season.

Freddy first developed as a disturbance on 5 February 2023. While in the Australian region cyclone basin, the storm quickly intensified and became a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone, before it moved into the South-West Indian Ocean basin, where it intensified further. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated 1-minute sustained winds of 270 km/h (165 mph) at Freddy's peak strength, equivalent to Category 5 strength on the Saffir–Simpson scale. On 19 February, Météo-France (MFR) upgraded it to a very intense tropical cyclone, estimated 10-minute winds of 220 km/h (140 mph). Freddy made its first landfall near Mananjary, Madagascar. The storm rapidly weakened overland but re-strengthened in the Mozambique Channel. Shortly afterward, Freddy made second landfall just south of Vilankulos, Mozambique, before rapidly weakening again. Unexpectedly, the system managed to survive its visit in Mozambique and emerged back over the channel on 1 March. Soon after, Freddy was re-classified as a tropical cyclone by the MFR. Over the course of 10 days, Freddy rapidly intensified on two occasions, eventually slowing to a semi-stationary movement near Quelimane, Mozambique. Moving northwest inland, the storm gradually deteriorated and was last noted on 14 March.

Preparations for the storm in the Mascarene Islands included flight groundings, cyclone alerts, and personnel being prepped for the aftermath, among other things. In Madagascar, areas previously affected by Cyclones Batsirai and Cheneso were feared to be worsened by the storm's arrival. On 20–21 February, Freddy skirted Mauritius and Réunion to the north, bringing strong winds and adverse weather conditions. A Taiwanese-flagged vessel with a crew of 16 went missing northeast of Mauritius. The cyclone struck southeastern Madagascar, damaging many homes. Impacts in Mozambique were more severe than in Madagascar and included heavy rainfall in the southern half of the country and widely damaged infrastructure. Some parts of the country received more than 300 mm (12 in) of rain. Effects in Mozambique were exacerbated after its second landfall with further floods and wind damage.

The hardest-hit was Malawi where incessant rains caused catastrophic flash floods, especially Blantyre. The nation's power grid was crippled, with its hydroelectric dam rendered inoperable. Overall, the cyclone killed at least 1,434 people: at least 1,216 people were killed in Malawi (with 537 people missing and presumed dead), 198 in Mozambique, 17 in Madagascar, 2 in Zimbabwe, and 1 in Mauritius, making it the first tropical cyclone globally to claim at least 1,000 lives since Cyclone Idai in 2019. Food security was of particular concern, with millions of others left at risk. The storm struck during a widespread cholera outbreak in Mozambique and Malawi as well; severe flooding worsened the epidemic. Survivors of the cyclone were found digging in rubble with their hands to find other survivors. Total damages are estimated to reach $655 million USD, making it the second-costliest cyclone in the south-west Indian Ocean after Idai.