The next day, it began to slowly move westward and executed a loop as it became more organized, which prompted Météo-France Reunion (MFR) to note the system as Zone of Disturbed Weather 09.

The storm continued its westward motion while slowly intensifying, and was upgraded to a Tropical Cyclone by the MFR on 10 March.

Closing in on Nampula Province, the storm underwent rapid intensification, and was upgraded to the fourth Intense Tropical Cyclone of the year and reached its peak intensity on 11 march, with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph), maximum 1-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph), and a minimum central pressure of 960 hectopascals (28 inHg).

[1] Cyclone Gombe originated from a zone of disturbed weather that the Météo-France on Réunion (MFR) noted on 6 March, located about 280 nmi (320 mi; 520 km) from Mauritius, moving northeast slowly.

[2] The system organized its circulation and became active convectively, which prompted the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to designate the system as Invest 97S hours later, and at 11:40 UTC, issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA), noting warm sea surface temperatures of 28–29 °C (82–84 °F) along with low wind shear.

[9] Gombe, driven by a subtropical ridge south of the Channel, continued to move westward, and the MFR observed an improved cloud pattern, upgrading it to a Tropical Cyclone at 06:00 UTC on 10 March, estimating maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 65 knots (120 km/h; 75 mph).

[10] Gombe then began a period rapid intensification, and the MFR upgraded the storm to Intense Tropical Cyclone, with peak 10-minute sustained winds of 90 knots (170 km/h; 100 mph), and a minimum central pressure of 960 hPa (28.34 inHg) midnight on 11 March.

[13] The MFR downgraded the storm to an Overland Depression for the second time on 06:00 UTC the same day, with the JTWC tagging the system as a high-end Category 1-equivalent.

[16][17] In the advisory released on 17 March by the MFR, what was left of Gombe reorganized itself into a tropical depression as its entered Mozambique channel.

[31][32] Preliminary data stated that around 1,600 temporary relief shelters set up for the aftermath of Gombe were damaged, some blown away and destroyed, with the majority left in need of repair.

A police station, an immigration office, and other buildings were submerged in floodwaters in Mulanje District, with cut-off roads in other areas hampering communication and rescue efforts.

[38] 39 centers for 23,994[25] displaced people were opened by the National Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, and about 360 tons of essential items were distributed right after the storm passed.

[33] The storm also greatly affected those impacted by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the northern section of the country, and immediate resources could only support an estimated 100,000 people.