Cyclone Jude made landfall in the morning with winds of 140 kilometres (87 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 195 kilometres per hour, the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) said in a bulletin.

It then weakened to a severe tropical storm accompanied by thunderstorms, INAM said.

There were no reports of casualties by Monday afternoon.

Cyclone season in the southwestern Indian Ocean normally lasts from November to April and there are around a dozen storms each year.

Cyclone Chido struck the Portuguese-speaking country in December, causing the deaths of at least 120 people and destroying almost 120,000 homes, according to official data.

In mid-January, Cyclone Dikeledi caused the deaths of at least five people and destroyed nearly 3,500 homes.

"Over the next few days, Jude should weaken as it moves inland and should circulate close to the border between Mozambique and Malawi," according to the regional cyclone centre in the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion.

The cyclone could intensify while heading southwest towards Madagascar, it warned.