Authorities in the country have raised their alert to class 3 before tropical cyclone Berguitta brings winds of up to 75mph.
The island’s forecasters said Berguitta was 210 miles northeast of Mauritius early on Wednesday morning (January 17) and moving southwest at 4mph, the Evening Standard reports.
“On this trajectory, tropical cyclone Berguitta is dangerously approaching Mauritius and represents a direct threat to the island,” the meteorological service said in a statement.
It warned the public to take precautions and said high winds are expected by Wednesday evening, causing rough sea conditions.
The Airport of Mauritius said it would be closed from 7am local time until further notice.
The small Indian Ocean island of Reunion was also on alert as Berguitta approached.
The Met Office said: “Intense Tropical Cyclone Berguitta will move southwest to affect the islands of Mauritius and La Reunion over the next 24 hours or so, bringing damaging winds and flooding rain.”
As much as 300mm to 400mm of rainfall is expected to raise sea levels.
