 In general , sea surface temperatures were warmest near the equator in the northeast portion of the basin , and in the Mozambique Channel between Mozambique and Madagascar . During the season , the Météo @-@ France office ( MFR ) on Réunion island issued warnings in tropical cyclones within the basin . The agency estimated intensity through the Dvorak technique , and warned on tropical cyclones in the region from the coast of Africa to 80 ° E , south of the equator . The Joint Typhoon Warning Center ( JTWC ) , which is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force , also issued tropical cyclone warnings for the southwestern Indian Ocean . 
