MetService is keeping a close eye on the cyclone that is forming in the Coral Sea. Photo / Supplied
MetService is warning upper North Island regions recovering from recent floods are likely to be in the firing line of yet another cyclone packed with potentially damaging winds, big seas and heavy rain set to bear down on devastated parts.
MetService meteorologist John Law said a tropical cyclone will form in the Coral Sea around Thursday. It is then expected to move down towards the east and south of New Caledonia before potentially hitting New Zealand this weekend.
Law said the cyclone is expected to strengthen to a severe category three storm and in a tweet MetService indicated that the centre of the system would come close to New Zealand’s shores.
Eyes on the tropics, potential impacts for Aotearoa late in the weekend 👀
— MetService (@MetService) February 7, 2023
A tropical low in the Coral Sea is likely to develop into a tropical cyclone in the coming days and current information brings it toward our shores later in the weekend. https://t.co/7wKJumOqMX
1/ pic.twitter.com/SbWEr11INu
“We’re keeping a close eye on the situation and it looks like it may have an impact on us as we head towards the end of the weekend and through towards the start of next week,” said Law.
“[It] has the potential to bring some significant impacts to us in New Zealand, particularly across the northern parts of the country, [it] could bring some heavy rainfall, some stronger winds and some higher seas as well.”
Law said they’d be able to get a better idea of its track once the cyclone has formed.
“So although it’s still a way away and there is still uncertainty, it is a forecast to be keeping a very close eye on.”
🌀The next tropical cyclone poses a threat to New Zealand - but it's still too far away to lock in.
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) February 6, 2023
Most reliable modelling puts the storm near NZ this Sunday. It's a wait-and-see situation for the next few more days as tracking for our part of the world becomes more reliable. pic.twitter.com/94KMM7BOTX
MetService said warnings and watches will be issued closer to the time of the storm approaching.
This comes as Auckland, Coromandel, Northland and Waikato clean up following last week’s unprecedented weather.
The downpours led to Auckland having its wettest day in history, having recorded 245mm and deadly floods that claimed the lives of four people.
Auckland and the Thames-Coromandel District remain under states of emergency.
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has today announced the next phase in the clean-up and recovery for the city, a week on from the deadly storm.
Brown this morning said the council has shifted its focus from emergency response and immediate recovery to the Big Auckland Clean Up being led by Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson.
We're keeping our eyes on the tropics as a tropical low in the Coral Sea looks likely to develop into a tropical cyclone this week
— MetService (@MetService) February 5, 2023
Impacts of the cyclone on NZ will be highly dependent on the path the cyclone could take, which is still uncertain as the system hasn't developed. pic.twitter.com/R4qMnmwzyL
“We are past the worst of the current weather event and the review that I announced into what went wrong in the first 24-48 hours is under way.
“Aucklanders began the Big Auckland Clean Up on the morning of Saturday 28 January, immediately after the unprecedented downpour on Friday,” Brown said.
“Aucklanders have made me proud, and humbled, to be your mayor. Aucklanders have risen to the challenge, looking after their neighbours, their local communities and lending a helping hand.”
Brown would take the lead on championing the Big Auckland Fix Up, a much longer-term project, about which more details would be made available later in the week, Brown said.
“It would be about getting Auckland ready for more events like the current floods, of which there are expected to be more as a result of climate change, for which Auckland will need to adapt,” he said.
“The Big Auckland Fix Up will oversee the demolition of those properties that need to be; fixing those that can be; and working out what needs to be done with Auckland’s roads, rail, stormwater and other infrastructure to make sure it can cope better with similar events in future.”
Daily briefings for Big Auckland Clean Up are starting from 1pm today. These briefings will provide information about what has been happening, and how Aucklanders and people from outside the region can best help, including where and when.