Tonga is about to be hit by a powerful cyclone

[verticity]

Cyclone Gita looks like it is about to make basically a direct hit on the main island of Tonga, Tongatapu, tomorrow morning (Monday night local time there), and also the nearby island of 'Eua.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...e-of-emergency-cyclone-gita-storm-strengthens
http://matangitonga.to/2018/02/12/tonga-faces-devastating-cat-5-cyclone-tonight
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south...-described-as-the-strongest-to-ever-hit-tonga

It caused some damage and flooding in Samoa earlier, but it was less powerful at that time:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/internati...and-american-samoa-assess-cyclone-gita-damage

Some reports are now saying it could strengthen to a category 5; other sources say category 4, but it will be very powerful in any case. (Forecasts in that region use the Australian system which specifies different wind speeds than the US system. An Australian Category 5 corresponds to a US cat 4 or 5, and an Aus Cat 4 is a US Cat 2 or 3: See http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/about/intensity.shtml )

It appears that it will pass to the South of Fiji. Current satellite map and projection from Weather Underground:
https://www.wunderground.com/wundermap?lat=-21.8&lon=-172.6&hur=1&sat=1



Windy.com animated map:
https://www.windy.com/overlays?-21.404,-173.584,8

This site aggregates several information sources about the cyclone:
http://cyclonedashboard.com/fiji.php

Here's hoping everyone there stays safe.

 

[ThePiper]

Damn. Is it common for them to come up in February in that area?

 

[verticity]

Damn. Is it common for them to come up in February in that area?

Yes, it's summer there now. Tropical cyclone season is November through April, the opposite of our hurricane season in the US

 

[kastom_lif]

Ouch. That thing is going straight over Matt's family farm

Slightly off topic: the Windy mobile app sure doesn't like crossing the date line.

 

[Groggy]

It appears Fiji may get some of the brunt as well.

 

[Dr.Krunk]

Best wishes out to those affected. Hard to get good crops growing with yearly hurricanes

 

[kastom_lif]

It appears Fiji may get some of the brunt as well.

It'll be the "dry side" as they say on the Gulf Coast. It looks weird to me, just gotta keep reminding myself that they spin the other way down there.

 

[kasa_balavu]

Love these pics from Samoa (they weren't hit hard but did lose power in some places).

 

[The Kap'n]

Great post by an admin over at reddit.

 

[verticity]

It appears Fiji may get some of the brunt as well.

If you follow the Windy projection out, it also swings around and runs right into the north island of New Zealand around Monday of next week. It will be weaker, but looks like it could still be a lot of wind and rain there.

 

[verticity]

Severe damage and some injuries in Tonga:

"The islands of Tonga in the South Pacific have been devastated by Tropical Cyclone Gita with winds of 230km/h flattening parts of Parliament House and causing significant damage and injuries across the kingdom.
Gita hit Tonga around 8pm on Monday night and peaked between 11pm and 2am, slamming on to the south coast of the main island of Tongatapu, bringing down electricity lines, smashing churches and levelling fruit trees and crops vital to the island’s livelihood. ..."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...a-tonga-devastated-by-worst-storm-in-60-years

But thankfully:
“At this stage we have no reports of causalities and only minor injuries"
according to a Red Cross official there.