page_title: Cyclone Bondo
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Cyclone Bondo / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: English: Track map of Intense Tropical Cyclone Bondo of the 2006-07 South West Indian Ocean cyclone season. The points show the location of the storm at 6-hour intervals. The colour represents the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds as classified in the Saffir–Simpson scale (see below), and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm, according to the legend below. Saffir–Simpson scale Tropical depression≤38 mph≤62 km/h Category 3111–129 mph178–208 km/h Tropical storm39–73 mph63–118 km/h Category 4130–156 mph209–251 km/h Category 174–95 mph119–153 km/h Category 5≥157 mph≥252 km/h Category 296–110 mph154–177 km/h Unknown Storm type Tropical cyclone Subtropical cyclone Extratropical cyclone / Remnant low / Tropical disturbance / Monsoon depression
context_page_description: Intense Tropical Cyclone Bondo was the first of a series of six tropical cyclones to impact Madagascar during the 2006–07 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season. Bondo developed on December 15 in the central Indian Ocean, west of Diego Garcia. After strengthening into a moderate tropical storm on December 18, the storm rapidly intensified while moving westward, taking advantage of favorable atmospheric conditions. Within 18 hours of being named, Bondo intensified to tropical cyclone status, or the equivalent of a minimal hurricane. The Météo-France office on Réunion estimated peak 10 minute sustained winds of 205 km/h, although the American-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated stronger 1 minute winds of 250 km/h. While near peak intensity, Bondo passed just south of Agaléga island, before weakening slightly and moving through the Farquhar Group of islands belonging to the Seychelles, becoming the strongest cyclone to affect that island group in decades. Bondo turned southwestward, and after brushing the northern coast of Madagascar, the cyclone made landfall near Mahajanga on December 25. The storm continued southward, and was last tracked by the MFR on December 28.
context_section_description: An area of convection, or thunderstorms, persisted west of Diego Garcia in the central Indian Ocean on December 15. That day, the Météo-France meteorological office in Réunion (MFR) classified the weather disturbance as Tropical Disturbance 3. Over the next two days, the disturbance became more organized, with increasing convection over the center. This was due to the system moving into an area of lower wind shear. On December 18, the MFR upgraded the system to Moderate Tropical Storm Bondo. On the same day, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began issuing advisories on Bondo, designating it Tropical Cyclone 05S.
  Steered by a ridge to the south, Bondo moved westward into an area conducive for strengthening, including low wind shear, warm waters of around 29 °C (84 °F), and favorable outflow. Within 18 hours of being named, Bondo intensified to tropical cyclone status, or the equivalent of a minimal hurricane, and continued to rapidly intensify. Late on December 19, the JTWC estimated peak 1 minute winds of 250 km/h (155 mph). Early on December 20, the MFR estimated peak 10 minute winds of 205 km/h (125 mph), making Bondo an intense tropical cyclone. At 02:30 UTC that day, Bondo passed about 20 km (12 mi) south of Agaléga, one of the Outer Islands of Mauritius. Despite the close approach at peak intensity, the cyclone's small size spared the strongest winds from affecting the island.
  Increasing wind shear and an eyewall replacement cycle caused Bondo to weaken, beginning on December 20. On the same day, the track shifted to the west-northwest. On December 21, Bondo passed over Providence Atoll and Farquhar Atoll, part of the Outer Islands of Seychelles. It was the most intense tropical cyclone in several decades to strike that part of the Seychelles. On December 22, Bondo weakened to a moderate tropical storm as its track shifted to the southwest. The storm re-intensified due to warmer waters, regaining tropical cyclone intensity late on December 23 near the northern tip of Madagascar. On the next day, the JTWC estimated a secondary peak intensity of 215 km/h (135 mph), while the MFR estimated a secondary peak of 140 km/h (85 mph). Land interaction and drier air caused the storm to weaken slightly. Around 12:00 UTC on December 25, Bondo made landfall in northwestern Madagascar near Mahajanga as a severe tropical storm. The storm weakened to a tropical disturbance while continuing southward through the country. On December 26, Bondo emerged into the Mozambique Channel. The MFR continued tracking the disturbance for two more days, by which point Bondo was located off the southwest coast of Madagascar.
caption: Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
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