Hellen formed on March 26 in the northern portion of the channel, and the storm brought rainfall to coastal Mozambique while in its formative stages.

Warm waters allowed Hellen to rapidly intensify while passing south of the Comoros, with a well-defined eye forming in the middle of the thunderstorms.

The cyclone attained peak intensity March 30, with maximum sustained winds estimated 230 km/h (145 mph) according to the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center, Météo-France in La Réunion.

Subsequently, Hellen weakened quickly due to dry air and land interaction with Madagascar, and the storm's eye dissipated.

On March 31, the storm made landfall in northwestern Madagascar as a weakened cyclone, despite previous forecasts for the center to remain over water.

Later, the cyclone passed south of the Comoros islands, causing flooding due to high storm surge and waves that killed one person.

With high sea surface temperatures in the storm's track, the JTWC anticipated further organization and issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert at 2000 UTC on March 26.

[6] Though convection later began to consolidate into a small central dense overcast (CDO) feature by March 28, continued disruption of the low-level inflow prevented much development.

[7] Conversely, the JTWC noted that proximity to land and dry mid-level air, represented by surface outflow boundaries, could hamper significant development.

[14] By the end of March 30, Hellen's eye had collapsed and disappeared from satellite imagery,[17] as the combination of dry air and land interaction took their toll on the storm.

[18] At about 0800 UTC on March 31, Hellen made landfall on Mitsinjo with winds of 110 km/h (70 mph), and the previously unfavorable conditions coupled with land interaction to induce rapid weakening.

[22] As the low continued to the west, the convection increased on April 4 while approaching the coastline of Mozambique,[23] although the system failed to redevelop before moving onshore.

On the island, 7,879 people had to evacuate their houses due to the risk of further landslides,[29] some of whom went to schools set up as shelters while others stayed with family or friends.

[30] Though the center of Cyclone Hellen remained south of Mayotte, it prompted an "orange alert" on March 30 for the area due to the potential for hurricane-force gusts.

[31] The storm's rapid intensification caught most residents on the island off-guard, with widespread disruptions to traffic and electricity taking place.

Wind gusts up to 100 km/h (62 mph) downed trees and power lines, blocking off roads while heavy rains caused significant flooding.