Met services in Fiji and Vanuatu are closely monitoring a tropical depression forecast to become a cyclone on Friday afternoon.
According to the Nadi Tropical Cyclone Centre in Fiji, the centre of the system, designated TD09F, was earlier located 90km southwest ofthe Vanuatu capital Port Vila.
Senior forecaster Stephen Meke said it is expected to continue intensifying.
“At the moment the system is gradually tracking towards the south-southeast. It is expected to move just to the west of the southern parts of Vanuatu in the next few hours,” Meke said.
“The anticipation is for it to become a tropical cyclone sometime around midday to evening today [Friday].”
A tropical cyclone threat track map shows TD09F as at 6am on Friday. Photo / Fiji Meteorological Service
Meke said parts of central and southern Vanuatu will already be experiencing wet weather.
“Currently, they are experiencing heavy rain. For most parts of Vanuatu there is a lot of cloud cover. The anticipation is for it to bring in a lot of strong winds and that is what is observed.
“Especially over where the cloud band is, which is basically over the central and southern parts of Vanuatu which is getting some 20 to 30 knot winds, near gale force winds, over Vanuatu at the moment.”
If it becomes a cyclone this afternoon the system will be named Cyclone Urmil.
