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February 11, 2026 - Tropical Cyclone Gezani Batters Madagascar
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Tropical Cyclone Gezani was strengthening as it approached landfall over Madagascar on February 10, 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the dangerous cyclone on that same day.
Shortly after this image was acquired, at about 1645 UTC (2:45 p.m. EST) on February 10, Gezani made landfall very near the city of Toamasina on the eastern coast of Madagascar. The storm reached peak maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) just before landfall and appears to have maintained that strength until completely over land. That is equivalent to a major Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
At 7:00 p.m. EST on February 10 (0000 UTC February 11), maximum sustained winds had dropped to 70 miles per hour (112.6 km/h) as Gezani weakened over the center of the island. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) expects the storm to pass over Madagascar and then reconsolidate over the Mozambique Channel, continuing to intensify until it faces a less favorable environment and turns southward, with the center expected to skirt the coast of Mozambique, then turn southeastward over open ocean.
Tropical Cyclone Gezani formed over the southwest Indian Ocean on February 6. It passed just north of Mauritius and Reunion islands between February 7-8, dousing them with heavy rain, before approaching Madagascar. Damage reports from Madagascar have not been published at the time of this writing—just several hours after landfall. However, damage is expected to be significant, especially near Toamasina and low-lying coastal areas nearby.
Potential damage from this storm is enhanced as it comes just ten days after the passage of Tropical Cyclone Fytia. According to the Global Disaster Awareness and Coordination System (GDACS), Fytia caused 14 deaths and affected more than 85,000 people. It is estimated that Fytia damaged nearly 18,600 houses, 493 classrooms, 20 health facilities and undermined food security and essential services in nine regions of Madagascar.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 2/10/2026
Resolutions:
1km (445.1 KB), 500m (1 MB), 250m (1.5 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Tropical Cyclone Gezani was strengthening as it approached landfall over Madagascar on February 10, 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the dangerous cyclone on that same day.
Shortly after this image was acquired, at about 1645 UTC (2:45 p.m. EST) on February 10, Gezani made landfall very near the city of Toamasina on the eastern coast of Madagascar. The storm reached peak maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) just before landfall and appears to have maintained that strength until completely over land. That is equivalent to a major Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
At 7:00 p.m. EST on February 10 (0000 UTC February 11), maximum sustained winds had dropped to 70 miles per hour (112.6 km/h) as Gezani weakened over the center of the island. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) expects the storm to pass over Madagascar and then reconsolidate over the Mozambique Channel, continuing to intensify until it faces a less favorable environment and turns southward, with the center expected to skirt the coast of Mozambique, then turn southeastward over open ocean.
Tropical Cyclone Gezani formed over the southwest Indian Ocean on February 6. It passed just north of Mauritius and Reunion islands between February 7-8, dousing them with heavy rain, before approaching Madagascar. Damage reports from Madagascar have not been published at the time of this writing—just several hours after landfall. However, damage is expected to be significant, especially near Toamasina and low-lying coastal areas nearby.
Potential damage from this storm is enhanced as it comes just ten days after the passage of Tropical Cyclone Fytia. According to the Global Disaster Awareness and Coordination System (GDACS), Fytia caused 14 deaths and affected more than 85,000 people. It is estimated that Fytia damaged nearly 18,600 houses, 493 classrooms, 20 health facilities and undermined food security and essential services in nine regions of Madagascar.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 2/10/2026
Resolutions:
1km (445.1 KB), 500m (1 MB), 250m (1.5 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
