“This is not a moderate storm”: a new cyclone is going to hit Mayotte, the prefect calls for extreme vigilance

Mayotte was placed on orange cyclone alert this Saturday, January 11, 2025.

Mayotte was placed on orange cyclone alert on Saturday in anticipation of Dikeledi passing near this archipelago in the Indian Ocean, the Mayotte prefecture announced.

From this Saturday

The orange level now implies “the cessation of barge traffic” (local ferries, editor's note), the prefecture of this overseas department specified on X, warning against “a significant deterioration in weather conditions” from Saturday evening.

“This is not an event considered moderate but serious. […] It is not impossible that we will move towards an orange alert from Saturday and a red alert from Sunday”, specified the prefect of Mayotte, François Bieuville on Outre Mer la 1ère.

Possible flooding

In its latest bulletin, Météo-France predicts “significant rain and wind deterioration” when Dikeledi passes near the archipelago, mentioning “very heavy rains that could generate floods”.

However, forecasters anticipate Dikeledi weakening during the night from Saturday to Sunday “to the stage of a strong tropical storm, before moving off the coast of southern Mayotte during the day on Sunday”.

At 03:34 local time (01:34 Paris time) on Saturday, Dikeledi was 800 km east of Mayotte, according to Météo-France.

The entry into force of this orange alert comes less than a month after the passage of Cyclone Chido, the most devastating to hit the small Indian Ocean archipelago in 90 years.

“The prefect calls for extreme vigilance from the entire population”

Chido caused colossal damage in the poorest department in France. The passage of this intense tropical cyclone caused at least 39 deaths and more than 5,600 injuries, destroying many precarious and permanent homes in the 101st department of France.

“Given the fragility of the territory following the passage of Chido, the prefect therefore calls for extreme vigilance from the entire population”, warned the prefecture on X.

In Mayotte on Friday, the queues in front of gas stations were exceptionally long and residents were stocking up on packs of water, AFP journalists noted.

Cyclones usually develop in the Indian Ocean from November to March, but this year surface waters are close to 30°C in the area, providing more energy for storms, a global warming phenomenon also observed this fall in the North Atlantic and the Pacific.