There are 6 tropical storms in the Southern Hemisphere
An unusual situation occurred in the Southern Hemisphere Tuesday afternoon, when 5 tropical storms, called cyclones in that part of the world, spun in the southern Indian and Pacific oceans at the same time.
The last time 3 tropical cyclones were in the South Pacific simultaneously was in January 1999, when Dani, Olinda and Pete overlapped. The tropical season there runs November to April.
Six tropical cyclones spin in the Southern Hemisphere on Feb. 25, 2025.
The 5 storms included Tropical Cyclone Honde off the coast of Mozambique, Africa; Garance, near Madgascar; Hurricane Bianca to the west of Australia; Hurricane Alfred to the northeast of Australia; and Tropical Cyclones Seru and Rae, north of New Zealand.
Reasons for the bounty of storms include weak wind shear and warm sea-surface temperatures, both of which can be credited to La Nina, AccuWeather Lead International Expert Jason Nicholls explained.
Officials issued the last advisory on Cyclone Rae at 4 p.m. EST Tuesday, just as Tropical Cyclone Honde formed. Cyclone Rae caused damage in Fiji on Monday.
Cyclone Garance will move south off the coast of Madagascar, affecting Reunion Island in the days ahead.
Tropical Cyclone Garance was forecast to track near Reunion Island as a hurricane, something that hasn't happened since Cyclone Firinga in 1989, a Category 2 equivalent on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Before that, the only other hurricane known to hit the island directly was Cyclone Beryl in 1961. However, dozens of Tropical Storms have tracked near and affected Reunion Island over the years.
Hurricane Alfred churned off the northeast coast of Australia on Feb. 25, 2025.
Alfred developed in the Coral Sea Feb. 24 and continues to intensify moving south," said AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok, adding, "The storm should make an impact on northeast Queensland this weekend with flooding rainfall and gusty winds."
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