Cyclone Kamisy

Intense Tropical Cyclone Kamisy

Intense tropical cyclone (SWIO scale)
Category 3 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Kamisy on April 8
Formed	April 3, 1984
Dissipated	April 17, 1984
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 170 km/h (105 mph) 1-minute sustained: 185 km/h (115 mph)
Lowest pressure	927 hPa (mbar); 27.37 inHg
Fatalities	69
Damage	$250 million (1984 USD)
Areas affected	Madagascar, Comoros, Mayotte, Seychelles
Part of the 1983–84 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season

Cyclone Kamisy was considered the worst tropical cyclone to affect northern Madagascar since 1911. A tropical disturbance formed near Diego Garcia on April 3, 1984 and subsequently moved westward, intensifying into a moderate tropical storm two days later. Given the name Kamisy, the storm gradually intensified into an intense tropical cyclone by April 9. Kamisy reached winds of 170 km/h (105 mph) before making landfall in extreme northern Madagascar near Diego Suarez. It weakened upon entering the Mozambique Channel, but briefly re-intensified on April 10. That day while passing near Mayotte, the cyclone turned to the southeast, striking Madagascar again near Majunga. Kamisy quickly crossed the country. After emerging into the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Madagascar, the system reintensified into a moderate tropical storm before dissipating on April 16.

In northern Madagascar, Kamisy produced wind gusts of 250 km/h (155 mph), which destroyed 80% of the city of Diego Suarez. About 39,000 people were left homeless in the area, and there were five deaths. In western Madagascar, the cyclone dropped 232.2 mm (9.14 in) of rainfall in 24 hours in Majunga, which damaged rice fields in the region after causing widespread river flooding. Additionally, the storm destroyed about 80% of Majunga. Throughout the country, Kamisy caused $250 million in damage and 68 deaths, with 215 people injured and 100,000 left homeless. Fifteen people were killed and 30 others were injured in Mahajanga. Following the storm, emergency food and medical supplies were rushed into the nation. In addition to the impact to Madagascar, one death and severe damage was reported in the Comoros Islands, where all of the banana crop was destroyed.

Cyclone Kamisy originated from an area of convection that formed in early April. On April 3, the system was assigned a Dvorak rating of T2.0 and was respectively upgraded into a moderate tropical storm by the Météo-France office on Reunion (MFR). However, the storm was not classified by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) until that evening. The storm initially tracked west-southwest, but after briefly weakening into a tropical depression, Kamisy began to turn west. On April 5, the storm was upgraded into a moderate tropical storm for the second time; the JTWC followed suit and upgraded Kamisy into a tropical storm several hours later while located about 1,000 km (620 mi) west of Diego Garcia.