15 Feb 2018

Cyclone Gita heading towards New Caledonia

12:36 pm on 15 February 2018

Fiji's Meteorological Service says Cyclone Gita is likely to pass very close to New Caledonia tomorrow afternoon bringing gale force winds.

The office says the cyclone is now a category 4 system with winds of 165km/hr gusting to 230km/hr.

Forecaster Rajneel Prasad said Gita was 500km south southwest of Nadi this morning and was tracking westwards at 15km/hr towards the southeast of New Caledonia.

He said it was not expected to make direct landfall on New Caledonia but will be very close and affect their waters and southeastern islands with gale force winds.

He said Gita was expected to be closest to New Caledonia tomorrow afternoon.

The cyclone is also forecast to pass to the south of Vanuatu, with little effect, other than strong winds and waves hitting the country's southern islands today and tomorrow.

Mr Prasad said there was very little chance of Gita escalating back to a category 5 system and as it leaves New Caledonia it is expected to weaken further to a category 3 cyclone.

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