Cyclone Freddy path, 2023

What the record says

Freddy was a cyclone in the South-West Indian basin that lasted about 38 days, from 4 February 2023 to 14 March 2023. Its peak was Category 5 (140 kt) on 19 February 2023, with a 1-minute sustained wind of 140 kt (161 mph, 259 km/h). Its lowest recorded pressure was 927 hPa.

• Category 5peak intensity
• 140 ktpeak wind (161 mph)
• 927 hPalowest pressure
• 38 dayslifetime

Source of the peak wind: US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (southern hemisphere). The regional forecast centre (RSMC La Reunion (Meteo-France)) gave a peak of 125 kt on its own averaging convention (10-minute winds), so the two figures differ.

It has its own page because it reached category 5 or stronger and it is a well-known storm.

This page gives the official record's figures. It does not describe the human cost of the storm, which is far larger than any wind speed or pressure here.

Where it came ashore

• 21 February 2023: Madagascar (75 kt)
• 24 February 2023: Mozambique (50 kt)
• 12 March 2023: Mozambique (75 kt)

A landfall here is the first tropical position over land after time at sea, so it is within about six hours of the real event. The record shows up to 8.

Countries it came within 50 km of

Strongest effect first.

• Mozambique
• Madagascar
• French Southern and Antarctic Lands
• malawi

How to read this track

The line joins the storm's six-hourly positions with straight lines, coloured by its intensity at each point, so it shows how the storm strengthened and weakened. The real path curved between the positions. A dashed grey stretch means the storm had become post-tropical. Records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are estimates.

Source: NOAA NCEI IBTrACS, public domain. See data sources and caveats.