Cyclone Kalunde path, 2003

What the record says

Kalunde was a cyclone in the South-West Indian basin that lasted about 14 days, from 3 March 2003 to 17 March 2003. Its peak was Category 5 (140 kt) on 8 March 2003, with a 1-minute sustained wind of 140 kt (161 mph, 259 km/h). Its lowest recorded pressure was 910 hPa.

• Category 5peak intensity
• 140 ktpeak wind (161 mph)
• 910 hPalowest pressure
• 14 dayslifetime

Source of the peak wind: US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (southern hemisphere). The regional forecast centre (RSMC La Reunion (Meteo-France)) gave a peak of 115 kt on its own averaging convention (10-minute winds), so the two figures differ.

It has its own page because it reached category 5 or stronger.

This page gives the official record's figures. It does not describe the human cost of the storm, which is far larger than any wind speed or pressure here.

Where it came ashore

The record shows no landfall: the storm stayed at sea.

Countries it came within 50 km of

Strongest effect first.

• Mauritius

How to read this track

The line joins the storm's six-hourly positions with straight lines, coloured by its intensity at each point, so it shows how the storm strengthened and weakened. The real path curved between the positions. A dashed grey stretch means the storm had become post-tropical. Records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are estimates.

Source: NOAA NCEI IBTrACS, public domain. See data sources and caveats.