The top of the North Island is being urged to brace for Cyclone Gabrielle.
It's formed as a tropical cyclone* in the Coral Sea - between Queensland, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
But it's tracking towards Aotearoa New Zealand and could make landfall early next week.
MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris spoke to Māni Dunlop about what the latest forecasts were showing.
*NB: Lewis said Gabrielle would likely be reclassified from Tropical Cyclone to Cyclone by the time it makes landfall in Aotearoa New Zealand. He said that was because the drivers of the low-pressure system would change as it tracked further South. The cyclone has formed in the tropics, where it is powered by convection (thunderstorms) from rapidly rising warm, humid air. As it tracks further South, the cyclone's drivers are different: the water is cooler and the air doesn't rise so rapidly. Hence the tropical cyclone would likely be reclassified as a cyclone.
