Update: 8:43AM CYCLONE Tomas intensifed overnight and now has winds of up to 140km/hr at its centre.
The National Weather Forecasting Centre says the cyclone should bring damaging gale force winds across the country in the next 30-48 hours.
Tomas barely moved overnight and remains close to Wallis and Futuna which have been experiencing strong winds and rain.
The weather office reported that Tomas was 600km north-northeast of Udu at 8am and moving west at 13 knots.
Here is the latest bulletin from the National Weather Forecasting Centre:
Special Weather Bulletin Number FOUR FOR FIJI ON TROPICAL CYLONE
TOMAS ISSUED FROM RSMC NADI
at 8:06am on Saturday the 13th of March 2010
TROPICAL CYCLONE ALERT.
A TROPICAL CYCLONE ALERT REMAINS IN FORCE FOR THE WHOLE FIJI GROUP.
TROPICAL CYCLONE TOMAS CENTRE 985HPA CAT 2 WAS LOCATED NEAR 11
DECIMAL 1 SOUTH 178 DECIMAL 0 WEST OR ABOUT 600 KM NORTH-NORTHEAST
OF UDU POINT AT 7AM TODAY. CLOSE TO ITS CENTRE THE CYCLONE IS
ESTIMATED TO HAVE AVERAGE WINDS OF 95 KM/HR INCREASING TO 140 KM/HR
IN THE NEXT 18 TO 24 HOURS. THE CYCLONE IS NOW MOVING WEST AT 13
KM/HR AND IS INTENSIFYING.
ON THIS FORECAST TRACK THE CYCLONE MAY BRING DAMAGING GALE FORCE
WINDS OVER MOST PARTS OF FIJI IN THE NEXT 30 TO 48 HOURS. FOR FIJI:
EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS INCREASING TO 35 TO 45 KM/HR WITH GUSTS TO 65
KM/HR, POSSIBLY INCREASING TO DAMAGING GALE FORCE IN THE NEXT 30 TO
48 HOURS. OCCASIONAL RAIN, BECOMING FREQUENT WITH SQUALLY
THUNDERSTORMS. DAMAGING HEAVY SWELLS DEVELOPING. FLOODING INCLUDING
SEA FLOODING OF LOW-LYING COASTAL AREAS POSSIBLE.FOR ROTUMA :
SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS BECOMING FRESH AND GUSTY.
OCCASIONAL RAIN AND SQUALLY THUNDERSTORMS.
ROUGH SEAS. HEAVY SWELLS .
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS PROVIDED ESPECIALLY FOR THE MARINERS:
A STRONG WIND WARNING REMAINS IN FORCE FOR ALL FIJI WATERS.
EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS 25 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 35 KNOTS, INCREASING
TO 30 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 45 KNOTS IN 18 TO 24 HOURS. ROUGH TO VERY
ROUGH SEAS. DAMAGING HEAVY SWELLS DEVELOPING.
THE NEXT SPECIAL WEATHER BULLETIN WILL BE ISSUED AT 3.30 PM TODAY.
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