Cyclone Gretelle
| Tropical cyclone (SWIO scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 4 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Satellite image of Cyclone Gretelle nearing Madagascar
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| Formed | January 19, 1997 |
| Dissipated | January 31, 1997 |
| Highest winds |
10-minute sustained: 140 km/h (85 mph) 1-minute sustained: 215 km/h (130 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 950 hPa (mbar); 28.05 inHg |
| Fatalities | 152 total |
| Damage | $50.05 million (1997 USD) |
| Areas affected | Réunion, Madagascar, Mozambique |
| Part of the 1996–97 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
Tropical Cyclone Gretelle was a deadly storm that struck southeastern Madagascar in January 1997. The seventh named storm of the 1996–97 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Gretelle developed within the intertropical convergence zone on January 19, and gradually intensified while moving southwestward. On January 22, the storm intensified to tropical cyclone status while passing northwest of Réunion; there, Gretelle produced strong wind gusts and heavy rainfall in mountainous regions. Subsequently, the cyclone strengthened to reach peak 10–minute sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph). On January 24, Gretelle made landfall near Farafangana, the first in the region in 41 years. The cyclone weakened while crossing Madagascar, but restrengthened slightly in the Mozambique Channel. Gretelle meandered off the coast of Mozambique, bringing gusty winds that downed trees, but caused little damage. An approaching trough turned the cyclone to the southeast, and Gretelle dissipated on January 31 to the south-southwest of Madagascar.
Damage from Cyclone Gretelle was heaviest near where it made landfall in Madagascar. In several villages, over 90% of the buildings were destroyed, leaving about 80,000 people homeless. Wind gusts at Farafangan reached 220 km/h (140 mph), which knocked trees onto roads and wrecked about 138,000 tons of crops. Heavy rainfall and high waves flooded coastal regions, in some areas up to 16 m (52 ft) deep. Overall damage was estimated at around $50 million, and there were 152 deaths. After the storm, there was a coordinated international relief effort to provide food and money to Madagascar.
The intertropical convergence zone spawned a tropical disturbance on January 19, developing a circulation just west of St. Brandon. That day, the Météo-France on Réunion (MFR) classified the system as a tropical disturbance, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began monitoring the system as a low-pressure area a day prior. The system intensified into Tropical Storm Gretelle late on January 20, by which time the JTWC gave it the designation Tropical Cyclone 20S. Due to a large ridge centered near Île Amsterdam, the storm tracked generally southwestward toward the Mascarene Islands. Early on January 22, the JTWC upgraded the storm to the equivalent of a minimal hurricane, and later that day, the MFR upgraded Gretelle to tropical cyclone status, or with 10–minute sustained winds of at least 120 km/h (75 mph).
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