Madagascar, Reunion, Mauritius - Tropical cyclone FYTIA, update (GDACS, Meteo France La Reunion, JTWC, MET Madagascar, UN OCHA, Copernicus EMSR) (ECHO Daily Flash of 3 February 2026)

On 2 February, tropical cyclone FYTIA continued moving south-east over the southern Indian Ocean, well off the coast of Reunion, as a tropical storm. On 3 February at 6.00 UTC, its centre was located over the ocean, approximately 270 km south-west of Reunion, with maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h.

Its passage over central and eastern Madagascar from 31 January to 1 February caused floods, and strong wind-related incidents resulted in casualties and damage. UN OCHA reports, as of 3 February, seven fatalities, one still missing person, seven injured people, and over 20 000 displaced people, 10 853 houses flooded, 1 406 partially damaged and 1 776 destroyed. The most affected districts are Soalala, Mitsinjo, where access is severely constrained, currently only by air, and Antananarivo.

The Copernicus EMS was activated in rapid mapping mode (EMSR863) on 2 February. A multi-sectoral aerial assessment with UNHAS is planned to determine impact figures and priority needs, with humanitarian partners preparing to scale up response. Government-led response efforts are ongoing, including the deployment of several hundred tons of food assistance to affected districts.

On the forecast track, FYTIA is expected to continue moving south-east over the ocean, further weakening and dissipating on 5 February.

Over the next 72 hours, more rainfall with locally heavy rainfall is still forecast over most of Madagascar. Moderate rainfall is forecast over Reunion over the next 96 hours. Light rainfall is also forecast over Mauritius starting from 4 February for 48 hours.