Newstalk ZB
The first weather alerts for Cyclone Vaianu are likely to be issued in the next 24 hours. MetService says the cyclone is expected to move across the North Island on Sunday. Watches for this cyclone are likely to be issued later today or tomorrow, said a spokesperson. As Vaianu edges closer, meteorologists in Fiji say they have recorded storm-force wind gusts of up to 185km/h and waves towering more than 8m. A Fiji Meteorological Service spokesman in Nadi told the Herald the Category 3 storm has sustained winds of 130km/h at its core and 185km/h gusts. “The last available information showed waves in excess of 8m in the centre and rainfall at more than 50mm and in some places 100mm, in a 24-hour period. “It’s wreaked quite a lot of havoc ... some of our weather systems are also not working properly because we’ve had power outages, so they need to restart.” The spokesman believed the worst was over for Fiji as the cyclone began to track away. “There’s barely any possibility of it moving to a Category 4, it’s quietened down.” Flash flood warnings remain in place for mainland Viti Levu and for all low-lying and flood-prone areas. All schools across Fiji have closed under a Government-led directive and multiple flights to and from the island have been cancelled. Fiji Meteorological Service said Vaianu has moved southeast at about 20km/h. The handover to MetService will be “later this evening”, he said, when Cyclone Vaianu is expected to reach New Zealand waters. The latest track of Cyclone Vaianu has been projected by the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre. All eyes are on Northland and the upper North Island as the cyclone is expected to reach the top of the country by Saturday. MetService reported it was forecast to move southeast across the North Island towards East Cape by midnight Sunday, with the potential for severe gales in Tararua and Manawatū districts. Giant swells of up to 8m have been forecast from 1am on Sunday, mainly in the east of the Far North, making their way down the east of the country and easing off around Gisborne by Monday afternoon. The Far North District Council has set up recovery hubs to support locals affected by recent severe weather, as more rain looms for the area. Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said the National Emergency Management Agency and civil defence emergency management groups were monitoring the situation. In Whangārei, Mayor Ken Couper said the region is “hanging on by a thread” as the area was already recovering from two storms and recent rain. “We’ve got to be saying to ourselves that the northeast region is hanging by a thread, isn’t it? “They’re starting to feel the strain and are concerned about what’s coming.”
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