Tropical Cyclone Eloise was the strongest cyclone to impact the country of Mozambique since Cyclone Kenneth in 2019. The seventh tropical depression, fifth named storm and the second tropical cyclone of the 2020–21 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, a disturbance over the central portion of the South-West Indian Ocean basin developed into a tropical depression on 16 January, and strengthened into a tropical storm on 17 January, though the storm had limited organization. On the next day, the storm entered a favorable environment, and it soon intensified to a severe tropical storm on 18 January. Late on 19 January, Eloise made landfall in northern Madagascar as a moderate tropical storm, bringing with it heavy rainfall and moderate flooding. The storm traversed the island of Madagascar and entered the Mozambique Channel in the early hours of 21 January. After moving southwestward across the Mozambique Channel for an additional 2 days, Eloise strengthened into a Category 1-equivalent cyclone, due to low wind shear and high sea surface temperatures. Early on 23 January, Eloise peaked as a Category 2-equivalent tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson scale as the center of the storm began to move ashore on Mozambique. Shortly afterward, Eloise made landfall just north of Beira, Mozambique, before rapidly weakening.