Weather services in Fiji and New Zealand say Tropical Cyclone Ruby will not pose any major threat to both countries.
Tropical Cyclone Ruby Photo: Fiji Meteorological Service
The cyclone season in the Pacific is from November to April.
The weather offices said on Monday the category two storm, currently lying close to New Caledonia, had formed on Sunday afternoon but is gaining power.
It may reach 'severe' Category 3 strength later this week.
On its forecasted track, Tropical Cyclone Ruby is expected to bring periods of heavy rain and gale (65km/h) to storm (100km/h) force winds to majority of New Caledonia including the Loyalty Islands from Tuesday morning.
Residents in New Caledonia are being urged to pay close attention to the weather updates.
There will be a lot of rain, clouds, humidity and drizzle for parts of New Zealand.
A severe weather warning for heavy rain is now in force for the Bay of Plenty, WeatherWatch NZ said.
"The cyclone itself may well stay offshore from New Zealand later this week - but the lows around NZ will connect to it, all linking 'arms' to help pull down moisture-rich tropical air over NZ and that brings with it drizzle, downpours and high humidity," it said.
"The rain this week in NZ will actually precede the tropical cyclone (which will technically be ex-tropical by the time it gets closest to NZ - this is because the core of the storm switches from warm air to cold air).
"Some of the bigger rainfall estimates for this week include Auckland, Waihi Beach, Tauranga and Katikati, Whakatāne and Kawerau, Stratford, Taupō and Nelson."
Ten year old Epineri Lata takes a dip in the ocean to escape the intense heat on the island of Kia in Fiji. In the background is the visible evidence of cyclone damage to the island. Photo: Justin Naisua
Be prepared, Fijians told
Fiji was hit with three cyclones amid the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
The widespread devastation left one person dead, and tens of thousands fleeing their homes.
Fiji Meteorological Service acting director Terry Atalifo said Fijians should expect one or two severe tropical cyclones this season.
Addressing the fourth National Climate Outlook Forum in Suva, Atalifo said the status quo remained, however, two out of the three would be very strong storms.
"Our prediction remains one to three cyclones for Fiji and we might have one to two severe cyclones out of the three that we anticipate," he said.
"We won't be able to tell how severe but when we say severe we are looking at a Category 3 and above - that's the kind of outlook that we are talking about.
"The main message is people need to be prepared - whatever the category doesn't really matter, what matters is being prepared."
Atalifo said most Fijians had experienced severe cyclones such as Winston in 2016 and more recently Yasa - both at Category 5.
"So I think communities in Fiji have some experience in terms of severe cyclones," Atalifo said.
"Don't wait until the last minute, preparations should have been done and then wait for the FMS advice, along with NDMO [National Disaster Management Office] and the other agencies involved.
"Just be prepared while you enjoy Christmas and keep alert to warnings and information that come from the relevant authorities."
Tracking map for Tropical Cyclone Ruby, a category one cyclone. Photo: Australian Weather Bureau
