What the record says
Horacio was a cyclone in the South-West Indian basin that lasted about 14 days, from 17 February 2026 to 3 March 2026. Its peak was Category 5 (138 kt) on 23 February 2026, with a 1-minute sustained wind of 138 kt (159 mph, 256 km/h). Its lowest recorded pressure was 947 hPa. It is a provisional record and may change.
- Category 5peak intensity
- 138 ktpeak wind (159 mph)
- 947 hPalowest pressure
- 14 dayslifetime
Source of the peak wind: US operational TC Vitals (provisional). The regional forecast centre (RSMC La Reunion (Meteo-France)) gave a peak of 115 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.
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
The record shows no landfall: the storm stayed at sea.
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.
Other notable storms of the 2026 South-West Indian season
- Grant (2026)Category 4
- Dudzai (2026)Category 4
- Fina (2026)Category 3
- Fytia (2026)Category 3
- Gezani (2026)Category 3