Tropical Cyclone Berguitta PATH LIVE: Latest track towards Mauritius and La Réunion
CYCLONE Berguitta is tracking towards Mauritius at a steady rate with winds between 70mph and 80mph expected as the tropical storm intensifies on Wednesday.
Tropical Cyclone Berguitta set to SMASH through Mauritius
The Met Office is predicting the islands of Mauritius and La Reunion with winds between 70mph and 80mph when Tropical Cyclone Berguitta hits the island paradises this evening.
Latest maps from Windy.com show the tropical storm bearing down on Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar.
Forecasters expect the storm to pass directly over Mauritius and nearby La Reunion, but to skirt south before making landfall on Madagascar.
Another shocking Tropical Cyclone Berguitta path forecast track, using data from weather company Foreca, showed as the monster storm heading directly toward Mauritius on Tuesday night.
Tropical Cyclone Berguitta is expected to dump as much as 300mm to 400mm of rainfall and cause a rise in sea levels, prompting storm surge warnings.
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.”
Authorities raised their alert to level three on Wednesday as tropical cyclone Berguitta approached with gusts of up to 120 km/h (75 mph).
The island's meteorological services said Berguitta, a category three cyclone, was 210 miles northeast of Mauritius before dawn today and is moving in a southwesterly direction at a 7 km/h (4 mph).
In a statement, they said: "On this trajectory, tropical cyclone Berguitta is dangerously approaching Mauritius and represents a direct threat to the island."
AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty warned that despite some weakening on Tuesday, cyclone Berguitta is still a very dangerous tropical cyclone.
He said: "Some strengthening is possible as the cyclone approaches Mauritius."
Mauritius and La Reunion will be hit with widespread life-threatening impacts if the storm maintains its current strength or any additional strengthening.
The Vacoas weather station warned last night: "On this trajectory, the tropical cyclone Berguitta is dangerously close to Mauritius and represents a direct threat to the island.”
Mauritius and Reunion brace for Tropical Cyclone Berguitta
The public is advised to complete all precautions and to remain safe.
BBC weatherman Tomasz Schafernaker has warned that Berguitta could be the worst storm to hit 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."