The 2021–22 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season featured the record latest start for the first system to develop. Despite the late start, it was an above-average season that produced 12 named storms, with 5 becoming tropical cyclones. The season began on 15 November 2021, and ended on 30 April 2022, with the exception for Mauritius and the Seychelles, for which it ended on 15 May 2022. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical and subtropical cyclones form in the basin, which is west of 90°E and south of the Equator. However, tropical cyclones that form at any time between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022 will count towards the season total. Tropical and subtropical cyclones in this basin are monitored by the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in Réunion and unofficially by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Seasonal summary
The season's first storm, Moderate Tropical Storm Ana, formed as a zone of disturbed weather on 20 January 2022, marking the latest first system in a Southwest Indian Ocean cyclone season ever. The second, and strongest storm of the season, Cyclone Batsirai, formed on 24 January, and became a long-lived and powerful storm. It cruised west, and eventually made landfall in Madagascar as a Category 3-equivalent storm. While Batsirai impacted Madagascar, Moderate Tropical Storm Cliff quickly formed but stayed out to sea. Continuing the active period of development, Tropical Storm Dumako formed, struggling to intensify and making landfall in Madagascar later.
Yet another storm, Cyclone Emnati, would strike extreme southern Madagascar as a Category 1-equivalent after peaking as a Category 4-equivalent beforehand. The third Intense Tropical Cyclone, Cyclone Vernon, passed into the basin as a Category 4-equivalent after very rapidly intensifying in the neighboring Australian region. The fourth Intense Tropical Cyclone, Gombe, formed off the coast of Madagascar on 5 March. Initially, the storm struggled to intensify beyond tropical storm status. After hitting Madagascar, Gombe emerged into the Mozambique Channel and rapidly intensified to a Category 3-equivalent cyclone. It then struck Mozambique, bringing heavy rainfall to the same area which Ana had hit a few weeks ago. After Gombe, Halima formed in the northeast of the basin on 21 March. It gradually intensified to an Intense Tropical Cyclone on 25 March, before dissipating later on 1 April. After, Subtropical Depression Issa formed just off the eastern coast of South Africa, an extremely rare phenomenon. It proved itself to be damaging and very deadly, killing hundreds due to catastrophic flooding. Finally, Jasmine formed near Comoros on 21 April before the landfall in Nampula and Zambezia province off the coast of Mozambique and rapidly intensified as Severe Tropical Storm. The storm made landfall in Toliara before it rapidly weakening to an overland depression, and dissipated on 27 April. In early May, Karim formed. Karim did not affect land and entered the Australian region on 7 May.
Systems
Severe Tropical Storm Ana
On 20 January, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center began monitoring an area of convection approximately from Mauritius, and gave a low chance for potential tropical cyclogenesis within the next 24 hours. Early the next day, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) for the system, as it consolidated a well-defined low-level circulation center (LLCC). Later at 12:00 UTC, the MFR declared the tropical low pressure system as a zone of disturbed weather, becoming the first system of the season. Twelve hours later, the MFR upgraded it to a tropical disturbance, before further upgrading it to a tropical depression by 06:00 UTC on 22 January. Between 08:00 UTC and 09:00 UTC, the system's center crossed between Toamasina and Île Sainte-Marie as a tropical depression, with the MFR re-classifying the system as an overland depression. Following landfall, the system weakened slightly, though its structure remained intact. By the next day, the MFR re-classified it again as a tropical disturbance after entering the Mozambique Channel. Six hours later, it re-intensified into a tropical depression, as it gradually regained its structure. At 15:00 UTC that same day, the JTWC upgraded the system to a tropical cyclone and designated it 07S. The system later intensified to a moderate tropical storm, with the MFR naming it Ana. It then made landfall in Mozambique, and rapidly weakened, primarily due to friction in land mass.