1999–2000 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
The 1999–2000 South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season was the first on record in which two storms – Leon–Eline and Hudah – struck Mozambique at tropical cyclone intensity, or with maximum sustained winds of at least 120 km/h (75 mph). The most notable storm of the season was Eline, which was the longest-lasting storm on record in the basin. It lasted for 29 days while traversing the southern Indian Ocean, making the strongest landfall in decades along eastern Madagascar in late February. The storm was the first in a series of three storms that struck the country in early 2000, along with Gloria in March and Hudah in April. Collectively, the three storms killed at least 316 people. The season started on November 1, 1999, and ended for most of the basin on April 30, 2000; for Mauritius and the Seychelles, the season continued until May 15. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the basin;
2000–01 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
On January 2, an area of convection persisted in the eastern portion of the ITCZ in the Australian basin, located northwest of Cocos Island, or about 1165 km (625 mi) southwest of Sumatra. With a ridge to the south, the system moved generally westward. A nearby ship confirmed that a circulation formed, and on January 3, it crossed 90°E into the south-west Indian Ocean as a tropical disturbance. With easterly wind shear, the system initially remained weak, but convection increased and organized on January 5. On the next day, the disturbance intensified into a tropical depression, although the circulation was still exposed from the thunderstorms at that time. After turning to the southwest, wind shear decreased, and the depression became Moderate Tropical Storm Bindu on January 7. On the same day, the JTWC also initiated advisories as Tropical Cyclone 05S. Moving around the ridge to the south, Bindu slowly intensified, developing outflow and improved rainbands. Early on January 9, the MFR upgraded the storm to tropical cyclone status as an eye 19 km (12 mi) in diameter formed. The next day, Bindu weakened due to increased wind shear, causing the circulation to be exposed from the convection and for the cyclone to be downgraded into a severe tropical storm.