As early as 14 January, long-range
ensemble forecast guidance from the
Global Forecast System and the
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts began to suggest a formation of a tropical cyclone to the northeast of the
Mascarene Islands. At 07:30 UTC on 20 January, the
Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported a formation of an area of convection, which they designated as
Invest 93S, approximately from
Mauritius, with the agency giving a low chance for potential
tropical cyclogenesis within the next 24 hours. At midday, the
Météo-France La Réunion (MFR) noted that a closed circulation was now present to the north-northwest of
Saint-Brandon. The formation of the disturbance was caused by the surge of monsoonal flow. By the evening, the JTWC upgraded the system to a medium chance for potential tropical cyclogenesis, after noticing its obscure low-level circulation (LLC). Early the next day, at 02:00 UTC, the JTWC issued its
Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) for Invest 93S and also upgraded the system to a high chance for potential tropical cyclogenesis, as the agency noted its consolidation of a well-defined low-level center. Later at 12:00 UTC, the MFR declared the tropical low pressure system as a zone of disturbed weather, becoming the first system of the season. The department noted the elongated circulation, which was a little more compact than yesterday, but still rather poorly organized. Twelve hours later, the MFR upgraded it to tropical disturbance status, as they found that the system's cloud pattern had improved. Furthermore, its center had become well-defined but was still overall ill-defined and elongated. The disturbance slowly consolidated into a defined convective structure while also developing distinct curved rainbands, which prompted the MFR to upgrade it to a tropical depression by 06:00 UTC on 22 January. Between 08:00 UTC and 09:00 UTC, the system's center crossed between
Toamasina and
Île Sainte-Marie as a tropical depression, with the MFR re-classifying the system as an overland depression. Because of the mountainous terrain of Madagascar, the system weakened a bit but still managed to preserve its organized convection and its low-level center. Six hours later, it re-intensified into a tropical depression, as it gradually improved its convective structure and cooling of its convective bands. Its low-level clouds had developed a distinct curved pattern near the center. This occurred after entering the Mozambique Channel, where more conductive environmental conditions were available along with good convergence of monsoonal flow. At 15:00 UTC, the JTWC declared the system a tropical cyclone and designated it
07S. The MFR later upgraded it to a moderate tropical storm and named it
Ana, becoming the first named storm of the season. Ana maintained its intensity until at 08:00 UTC the same day, when it made landfall near south of
Angoche, Mozambique. The system later moved westwards as an overland depression, crossing across southern
Malawi and northern
Zimbabwe, and by midday of 25 January, it became a remnant low over the adjoining areas of Zimbabwe and
Zambia. The remnant later moved towards Angola and was last noted on 30 January around
Namibia and Angola. ==Impact==