The 2006–07 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season featured the second-most intense tropical cyclones for a season in the tropical cyclone basin, only behind the 2018–19 season. The basin contains the waters of the Indian Ocean south of the equator and west of 90°E. Météo-France's meteorological office in Réunion (MFR), the official Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for the South-West Indian Ocean, tracked 15 tropical disturbances, of which eleven attained gale-force winds. The season began in October 2006 with a short-lived tropical disturbance, followed by Anita in November, which was the first named storm of the season. Cyclone Bondo was the first of six intense tropical cyclones, which took a rare track through the southern Seychelles before making landfall on northwest Madagascar, killing 11 people. Severe Tropical Storm Clovis lasted from December 2006 to January 2007; it struck eastern Madagascar, killing four people.
In January 2007, Cyclone Dora became one of the two strongest storms of the season, with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometres per hour (120 miles per hour); Dora only lightly affected the Mauritian island of Rodrigues. The season was most active in February, beginning with Severe Tropical Storm Enok, which formed off eastern Madagascar and later struck the island of St. Brandon. The next storm, Cyclone Favio, tied Dora as the season's strongest storm. Favio took an unusual path south of Madagascar before entering the Mozambique Channel and striking southern Mozambique, killing 10 people and causing widespread flooding. Cyclone Gamede stalled northwest of the Mascarene Islands for a few days in late February, resulting in historic rainfall totals on the French island of Réunion. Over a nine-day period, Gamede dropped 5512 mm (217 in) of rainfall at Commerson Crater, making it one of the wettest tropical cyclones on record. February concluded with Cyclone Humba, which remained over the eastern portion of the basin.
The season's deadliest storm was Cyclone Indlala, which struck northeastern Madagascar on March 15. The cyclone killed 150 people and caused over US$240 million in damage, after resulting in widespread flooding. Less than three weeks after Indlala, Cyclone Jaya struck northeastern Madagascar at a similar location, disrupting ongoing relief efforts and causing one death. The season concluded on April 12, when a subtropical cyclone in the Mozambique Channel transitioned into an extratropical cyclone.
Seasonal forecast and summary
On October 13, 2006, the Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) issued their seasonal outlook for the South-west Indian Ocean, anticipating a normal season with about 10 named storms. They forecast El Niño conditions for the southern hemisphere, meaning that normal to slightly above normal activity was likely. They also forecast a weak quasi-biennial oscillation, which would promote cyclone formation in the basin. Other seasonal indicators that were conducive for storm formation included above normal water temperatures, sustained convective activity, and above normal humidity. The seasonal forecast anticipated that most storms would form west of Diego Garcia, with at least one forming in the Mozambique Channel.
Météo-France's meteorological office in Réunion (MFR) – the official Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for the South-West Indian Ocean – tracked all tropical cyclones from the east coast of Africa to 90° E, and south of the equator. Regional warning centers in Mauritius and Madagascar formally named the individual storms. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), which is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force that issues tropical cyclone warnings for the region, also issued advisories for storms during the season.