 In the middle of April , a plume of moist air from the equator reached a circulation southeast of Madagascar , which was associated with a trough . On April 20 , a tropical disturbance formed about 350 km ( 215 mi ) southeast of the southernmost point of Madagascar . A strong ridge to the south steered the system westward , bringing it south of the island on April 22 . After several days without much strengthening , the system began intensifying steadily on April 23 , becoming a moderate tropical storm . That day , the Madagascar Meteorological Service named it Elizabeta , and the JTWC classified it as Tropical Cyclone 24S . Around that time , the storm turned sharply to the south due to a passing trough . Late on April 23 , the JTWC upgraded Elizabeta to the equivalent of a minimal hurricane . On the next day , the MFR estimated peak 10 minute winds of 95 km / h ( 60 mph ) , and the JTWC estimated 1 minute winds of 140 km / h ( 85 mph ) . A ridge turned the storm eastward , and Elizabeta gradually weakened , deteriorating to tropical depression status by April 25 . Two days later , the system turned to a westward drift due to small ridge , although it turned back to the south the next day due to another ridge . The weak circulation accelerated to the southeast into a polar trough , dissipating on April 29 . 
