Winds of the Past: Mauritius Cyclone Archive

Cyclones in Mauritius

In the land of the dodo, where sapphire seas kiss volcanic rocks and golden beaches, the wind has long whispered stories of power, loss, and resilience. Mauritius, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean, has weathered centuries of cyclones some brushing by with grace, others tearing through with fury. This island remembers every gust.

Long before radar and satellites, islanders read the sea’s mood like scripture watching for towering swells, changes in the wind, and the eerie calm that often precedes the storm. The earliest written cyclone records in Mauritius date as far back as 1848, but legends and ship logs suggest devastating storms much earlier.

One of the most infamous events came on February 27, 1960, when Cyclone Carol slammed into Mauritius. It unleashed wind gusts of 256 km/h, the strongest ever recorded on the island, destroying nearly 60% of the sugar crop, collapsing over 100,000 homes, and killing 42 people. An estimated 15% of the population was left homeless overnight. The impact was so severe that military aid from the King's African Rifles was flown in a rare move during peacetime.

The devastation of Carol led to the institutionalisation of Mauritius’s cyclone warning system: Class 1 (watch) to Class 4 (imminent danger). These alerts became part of Mauritian culture signifying more than just wind speed, but collective memory, family rituals, and a rush for candles and kerosene.

Over the decades, Mauritius has faced over 500 named cyclones, with some systems producing waves over 10 metres high, strong enough to reshape coastal villages. Cyclone Dina in 2002 damaged 90% of the island’s electrical grid, while Cyclone Gervaise in 1975 left hundreds injured in its path.

Today, with ocean temperatures rising and cyclone patterns shifting due to climate change, the threat is growing not fading. But so too is the resilience. Mauritius doesn’t just survive cyclones; it learns from them. And through this archive, we ensure the stories and the lessons are never lost.

A Tribute to Renaud Arekion

This archive is a heartfelt tribute to my dad Renaud Arekion, a passionate cyclone enthusiast who dedicated his life to recording cyclone data impacting Mauritius. From childhood, he meticulously documented cyclone paths, intensities, dates, and impacts long before digital systems existed. He did it out of pure passion and love for nature's power.

At an early age, I began helping him by building my first software on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum when I was about 11 years old. Over time, the project evolved moving from GW-BASIC, Pascal, and eventually Visual Basic as I upgraded my computers. Today, this site stands as a modern digital tribute, bringing his legacy online for all cyclone enthusiasts to explore.

I’m sharing this extensive collection of over 600 cyclone data that my dad spent decades documenting. It wasn’t something he did for recognition but just pure passion, where he kept records, drew maps, and followed every storm with care and curiosity. I must admit that I do not share the same enthusiasm, but I’ve always admired the dedication behind it. Rather than let it fade away, I’ve chosen to put it online so others who truly care about this topic and share the same passion can put it to good use. I hope you enjoy exploring it, and that in some way, it helps you continue the kind of work he started.

Cyclone Imagery