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;
1995–96 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
After about a month in which there were no named storms in the basin, a tropical disturbance formed within the ITCZ to the southwest of Seychelles on February 12. It moved slowly to the southwest with a well-defined center and a broad area of convection. For several days, the system remained weak until reaching more favorable conditions on February 16, and the next day it intensified into Tropical Storm Doloresse. The storm slowed while reaching the western extent of a ridge, drifting for nearly 24 hours about north-northwest of Grande Comore. On February 17, an approaching trough turned Doloresse to the south-southeast, bringing the storm about 55 km (35 mi) southwest of Grande Comore; this made it the first cyclone to directly affect the nation since Cyclone Elinah 13 years prior. On February 17, the JTWC estimated peak 1‑minute winds of 140 km/h (85 mph), and on the next day, the MFR estimated peak 10‑minute winds of 95 km/h (60 mph). Increasing shear caused Doloresse to rapidly weaken to tropical depression status on February 19. Although the JTWC assessed the storm as continuing to the southeast and striking northwestern Madagascar, the MFR estimated the system turned to a southwest drift and dissipated on February 20.