1996 South Indian cyclone season
Cyclone Itelle 1996
Cyclone Itelle traveled west across the southern Indian Ocean in April 1996. It reached Category 5 strength east of the Mascarene Islands, then weakened while passing north of Mauritius and Réunion.
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161 mph
Apr 12, 1996 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening across open water
Itelle's archived track begins near 13°S, 85°E on April 6. For much of its early passage, it followed a westward course near 13°S. The cyclone strengthened as it crossed 75°E and then 70°E, before bending toward the southwest.
The archive records a minimum central pressure of 925 hPa on April 12. Maximum one-minute winds reached 140 kt on April 14, when the center lay near 15°S, 64°E. That wind estimate places Itelle in Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson scale.
Weakening north of the islands
Itelle continued west-southwest and weakened as it approached the longitude of Mauritius. The track then flattened near 17°S, keeping the center north of Mauritius and Réunion, before turning west-northwest toward waters east of Madagascar. The final archived positions remain offshore, with no center position over land.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Itelle in brief
What was Cyclone Itelle's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Apr 14, 1996, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Itelle?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Apr 13, 1996, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Itelle's lowest pressure?
925 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Apr 12, 1996, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Cyclone Itelle occur?
The archived track runs from Apr 6, 1996, 12:00 PM UTC to Apr 19, 1996, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Apr 6, 1996, 12:00 PM UTC to Apr 18, 1996, 09:00 PM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Itelle form?
In the South Indian basin, in the 1996 season. Its first archived position is 12.8°S, 85.1°E on Apr 6, 1996, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Cyclone Itelle make landfall?
No archived position places Cyclone Itelle's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology