The powerful cyclone that tore through Tonga and Samoa is now heading towards New Zealand and is forecast to bring storm-force winds and heavy rain.
While fine weather was in store for most of the country over the next couple of days, Tropical Cyclone Gita was expected to bring very humid conditions when it arrived over the North Island late Monday or early Tuesday.
Lead MetService meteorologist Bill Singh said this morning that Gita, still a Category 4 system, was now southwest of Nadi, Fiji.
It was on course to move further south, passing southern parts of Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
#CycloneGita MetService have issued a blog with the history & future track of #TCGITA. You can find it at https://t.co/YEkMGeFMG0 This system will likely impact New Zealand early next week, but there is considerable uncertainly regarding the track as it approaches us. ^Lisa pic.twitter.com/D2m1SwozxY
"It's moving in a southwest direction and there is a general consensus in the model that Tropical Cyclone Gita will move out of the tropics during Saturday.
"Gita will be heading our way generally towards the North Island. The location and the timing - there is still a bit of difference in that. But most of the models have Gita moving towards central North Island during Tuesday,'' he said.
A trough moving up from the south of New Zealand was like to stay around the upper North Island from late Sunday or early Monday, he said.
"But as Gita moves southeast towards the North Island, that rain will become widespread from late Monday."
New Zealand would be spared such fierce conditions, however. Singh said it was likely the cyclone would be Category 2 ex-tropical cyclone by the time it arrived.
