Posted at 9:21 a.m., Thursday, December 6, 2007
Fiji braces for first seasonal tropical cyclone
Associated Press
NADI, Fiji — A strengthening tropical cyclone is expected to cause widespread flooding and damage to houses across northern Fiji islands over the next two days, forecasters at the Nadi Meteorological Center in Fiji said Thursday.Cyclone Daman, currently rated at the lowest Category 1 cyclone level, could dump 10 inches of rain and pack wind gusts up to 85 mph over northern Fiji from Friday morning, duty forecaster Matt Boterhoven said.
That will mean considerable damage to local houses, trees and gardens and flooding from the first cyclone of the season in southwest Pacific region, he said.
Nadi Weather Office Director, Rajendra Prasad, said the cyclone was moving south at about 6 mph.
Damaging winds up to 60 mph and heavy rain were expected over the outlying island of Rotuma from Thursday night until late Friday, he said.
Northern outer island groups, the Yasawas and Mamanucas, and western and northern parts of Fiji's main islands were expected to feel the direct effect of the cyclone later Friday, he added.
Cyclones — called typhoons in much of Asia and hurricanes in the Western hemisphere — are large-scale rotating storms that generate high winds and typically form at sea before moving inland.
The tropical storms are common in the South Pacific from November to April and range from category 1 to category 5. The most powerful can pack sustained winds of 132 mph.
