Tropical Cyclone Berguitta LIVE: Mauritius & La Reunion brace for HUGE storm - LIVE WEBCAM
TROPICAL cyclone Berguitta watch live. The huge gusts are set to batter Mauritius and La Reunion as it sweeps towards the islands increasing its intensity - Watch live webcam as the storm approaches.
Reunion Island braces for incoming tropical cyclone Berguitta
Tropical Cyclone Berguitta was raised to a category 2 storm on Tuesday morning and is expected to head inland on Thursday.
Berguitta is expected to continue intensifying as it heads towards the islands of Mauritius and La Reunion and could make landfall as a category 3 storm.
The cyclone’s path is forecast to miss Madagascar, but the storm is heading towards Mauritius and La Reunion.
Tropical cyclone Berguitta live webcam below shows the island of La Reunion bracing for the dangerous storm.
The Met Office said: “Intense Tropical Cyclone Berguitta will move southwest to affect the islands of Mauritius and La Reunion over the next 24 hours or so, bringing damaging winds and flooding rain.”
Tropical cyclone Berguitta is expected to bring gusts of up to 70moh and 80mph as it when it hits within the next 24 hours.
As much as 300mm to 400mm of rainfall is expected to raise sea levels, leads to storm surge warnings.
Mauritius and La Reunion could be hit with widespread life-threatening impacts if the storm continues with its current track.
Mauritius and Reunion brace for Tropical Cyclone Berguitta
It could be the most destructive storm since 2002 and possibly since the mid-nineties
Currently, the storm is at tropical cyclone strength based on the southwestern Indian Ocean scale - making it equal to a Category 2 hurricane in the Atlantic or East Pacific oceans.
BBC weatherman Tomasz Schafernaker warned that Berguitta could be the worst storm to hit the island of Mauritius since the 1990s.
He said: “Mauritius and Reunion in the Indian Ocean are bracing themselves for the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Berguitta and it could be the most destructive storm since 2002 and possibly since the mid-nineties.
“It looks like the core of the storm is likely to track right across the islands bringing the damaging winds.
“There’s already been a lot of heavy rain in the area and the weather is only going to get worse through the course of Wednesday and into Thursday."
The British Government has warned citizens that the Tropical cyclone Berguitta will bring “hazardous sea and weather conditions” to the area in the coming days.
A statement on its travel advice page said: “Tropical Cyclone Berguitta is forecast to bring hazardous sea and weather conditions to Mauritius from around 17 January 2018.
“You should monitor the progress of approaching storms and follow the advice of the local authorities, including any evacuation orders.”
A warning from Mauritius Meteorological Services reads: “The public in Mauritius is advised to complete all precautions and to stay safe.
“Weather in Mauritius will remain cloudy to overcast with intermittent rain. The rain will be moderate to heavy at times with thunderstorms.
“Wind will blow from the South-East at about 50 km/h, strengthening gradually. The gusts may reach 120 km/h in the evening.
“Sea will be high with heavy swells. It is strictly advised not to go out at sea.”
Météo France Reunion forecasts "frequent rains" in the east, south and on the heights of the island as the storm approaches.