]
The storm passed approximately 100 km (62 miles) south of Mayotte around 09:00 GMT on Sunday, according to forecaster Météo-France.
“Extremely heavy rains are beginning to trickle down,” François-Xavier Bieuville, the prefect of Mayotte, told French news channel BFMTV.
They were causing the first floods “and relatively significant mudslides” across the territory, he added.
The prefect said it was likely the island would remain on red alert until Monday evening, since heavy rain was expected to continue even after the storm had passed.
At least 14,500 people have taken refuge in emergency shelters set up to protect them from the storm, BFMTV reported.
As of Sunday afternoon, the storm was moving away from Mayotte, Météo-France reported. The system is expected to slowly intensify over the next 24 hours to tropical cyclone status while approaching the coast of Mozambique.
The current forecast does not predict landfall in Mozambique, but the Nampula region is still expected to experience “very degraded conditions”, the forecaster said.
Mozambique is also recovering from Cyclone Chido, which killed 120 people in the country.
