Draft:Cyclone Belal

Cyclone Belal was a moderately strong tropical cyclone that affected Réunion and Mauritius. The second named storm and the first tropical cyclone of the 2023–24 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Belal formed from a zone of disturbed weather. Environmental conditions and hot waters allow the system to be better organized. The disturbed weather later became a tropical depression. On January 13, the system intensified into a tropical storm, gaining the name Belal. Intense lightning activity within the center later fueled rapid intensification, leading to a Category-2 tropical cyclone. As Belal turns southeastward, wind shear causes it to deteriorate the storm's structure. Belal later traversed in the island of Réunion before weakening to a tropical storm and then remnant low on the next day, January 18.

Meteorological history
On 11 January, the MFR marked a zone of disturbed weather, citing the conducive conditions induced by the MJO and an equatorial Rossby wave. The monsoon trough north-northeast of Madagascar had intensified several days prior, as convergence transferred moisture aloft. Concentration of convection near the center increased, particularly in the western section, as the system moved south. By the next day, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) on the potential disturbance, since it was in an environment of very warm sea surface temperatures, high ocean heat content, low vertical shear, and excellent outflow. At 12:00 UTC, the MFR categorized the system as a tropical depression. Additionally, microwave imagery indicated an eye in the lower-layer while the storm steered more westward, and the JTWC began issuing advisories on the system as a tropical cyclone. By 13 January, it intensified to a moderate tropical storm, prompting the MMS to name it Belal. Intense lightning activity within the center further signaled a period of rapid intensification, leading to Belal becoming a severe tropical storm. As the storm developed a well-defined eye, the MFR upgraded Belal to a tropical cyclone early on January 14. However, while Belal recurved southeastward, wind shear began to deteriorate the storm's structure into becoming asymmetrical. The eyewall then struck the island of Réunion during the next day. The storm briefly weakened back into a severe tropical storm, before again becoming a tropical cyclone on 16 January after organization of the CDO. Weakening then continued from dry air intrusion, causing Belal to become a moderate tropical storm on the next day. By the end of 18 January, Belal had degenerated into a remnant low.

Preparations and impact
As the system developed, the MFR issued a yellow cyclone pre-alert for Réunion on 13 January, which was upgraded to an orange cyclone alert on 15:00 UTC the next day. On 13 January, the MMS issued a class I cyclone warning for Mauritius. On 14 January, the MFR would issue a red alert for Réunion as Belal neared the nation. This was the first red alert issued for the island since Cyclone Firinga in January 1989. On 15 January, the MFR would issue a purple alert for Réunion as Belal neared the coast.

The eyewall of Belal remained just offshore the northern coast of Réunion during the storm's closest passage. Three people died during the storm in Réunion. Around 150,000 electricity customers lost power, representing more than a third of the island's population. Around 37,000 people lost access to water. Two person died in Mauritius. After the storm's passage, Mauritius' head of meteorology stepped down after his institution was accused of "not giving adequate warning about the storm’s impact."