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;
1994–95 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
The final storm of the season formed on March 29 from the ITCZ to the east of Diego Garcia. The large area of convection quickly became more organized, intensifying into Tropical Storm Marlene on March 30. On that date, the JTWC classified it as Tropical Cyclone 19S. Marlene continued to strengthen as it moved west-southwestward, aided by a surge in the monsoon. An eye formed on March 31, and on the next day the storm became a tropical cyclone. The eye reached a diameter of 25 km (15 mi), embedded within a well-defined central dense overcast. Later on April 1, Marlene became an intense tropical cyclone, just three days after its genesis. That day, it turned to the south due to a passing trough. Less favorable conditions caused Marlene to weaken on April 2, although it re-intensified the next day. The MFR estimated peak winds of 185 km/h (115 mph), and the JTWC estimated winds of 230 km/h (145 mph). The trough that turned it to the south later caused the cyclone to weaken and for the eye to dissipate. On April 5, Marlene was downgraded into a severe tropical storm and subsequently drifted to the northwest, influenced by a ridge behind the trough. Two days later, the storm turned to the southeast and later to the east, gradually weakening into a tropical depression. On April 11, a passing trough absorbed Marlene in the eastern periphery of the basin.