Cyclone Freddy: Reunion Island still on orange alert

Europe 1 with AFP 6:17 p.m., February 20, 2023

Reunion Island remains on orange alert for the arrival of Cyclone Freddy overnight from Monday to Tuesday, only the northeast and east coasts are placed on red wave submersion vigilance.

"The intense tropical cyclone Freddy will pass this evening about 180 km from the coast of Reunion, with an episode of strong winds and a strong swell between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m." (3 p.m. and 4 a.m. Paris time), indicates the Prefect in a press release.

pic.twitter.com/jtwkVxrFaE

– Prefect of Reunion (@Prefet974) February 20, 2023

"The prefect of Reunion has decided to maintain the orange alert of the specific organization of the civil security response (ORSEC) Cyclones".

However "in the face of the strong swell, with waves between 5 and 6 meters on average, up to 12 meters for the highest, the prefect prohibits access to the coastal areas of the north and northeast from 5 p.m. " (2 p.m. Paris time), he adds.

Gusts up to 130km/h 

"The spectacle may seem attractive, but it can be deadly. Do not approach the coast!", Insists the prefecture.

The very intense cyclone Freddy was downgraded to an intense cyclone on Monday.

It will, according to Météo France, pass north of the island of Reunion "at a distance slightly less than 200 km".

>>

- Weather: Gérard, Katrina, Irma ... How do we assign the name of storms?

The gusts will reach 100 km / h on the coastal areas and up to 130 km / h on the inhabited heights, but the rains should remain weak during this cyclonic episode, adds the prefecture.

All schools, from nurseries to universities, are closed on Monday, and if travel remains authorized, the prefect calls the population "to responsibility", by "limiting" them.

Mauritius is also preparing

Neighboring Reunion, Mauritius will also suffer the wrath of Cyclone Freddy.

In the middle of the day, the streets, swept by gusts of wind, were practically deserted except in front of the bakeries, where buyers were stocking up on bread.

Around 4 p.m., the Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) said in its latest bulletin that the center of the cyclone, which was expected to pass about 120 km from the main island at its closest, could approach it.

"A slight shift in the system to the south could bring the center of Freddy closer to Mauritius. The weather will deteriorate further during the next few hours", writes the MMS in its press release.

"The sea will be phenomenal with strong swells of the order of 7 meters beyond the reefs. The storm surge continues to cause flooding along the coasts at low altitudes", he adds.

Authorities have issued a class 3 cyclone warning.