Weather News

Cyclone Donna Update

Ben Domensino, Tuesday May 9, 2017 - 12:00 AEST

Parts of New Caledonia will be battered by wild weather as Severe Tropical Cyclone Donna passes close to the country's east during the next 24 hours.

Category four Tropical Cyclone Donna was located about 150km to the north-northwest of New Caledonia's Ouvea Island this morning. While this is weaker than yesterday's category five peak, it is still capable of causing widespread damage and threatens lives.

The Fiji Meteorological Service expects Cyclone Donna to move in a south to southeasterly direction during the next 24 hours, while gradually weakening. This track will take Donna over the Loyalty Islands today, before passing very close to the southern tip of the mainland tonight or on Wednesday morning.

The most dangerous weather will occur in the east and south of the country from now until Wednesday morning.

According to Meteo France, wind gusts of 100-130km/h are likely in the east and south, with very destructive gusts of 180km/h possible on Ouvea and Lifou Islands today. Rain rates of 200-300mm in 24 hours are likely to produce flash flooding on the Loyalty Islands and the southern half of the east coast. Wave heights over six metres will exacerbate the risk of coastal inundation on the Loyalty Islands, particularly during high tide this evening.

Cyclone Donna is expected to continue weakening as it moves away from New Caledonia during Wednesday, allowing conditions to ease rapidly in its wake. The cyclone will undergo extra-tropical transition and should become a mid-latitude low, instead of a tropical cyclone, by Thursday.

It is now looking more likely that the remnants of Cyclone Deonna will travel south and interact with a cold front to cause heavy rain and potentially damaging winds in New Zealand between Thursday to Saturday.

While rainfall estimates are difficult at this stage, there is potential for more than 100mm in flood-weary areas that were inundated by two ex-tropical cyclones last month (Debbie and Cook). Refer to the Met Service website for the latest forecasts and advisories in New Zealand: http://www.metservice.com/national/home

- Weatherzone

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