Heavy rain and flood alerts in force, weather office warns

Atrough of low pressure with associated cloud and rain remains slow moving over Fiji and is expected to continue affecting the group till early next week. A low-pressure systems lie within this trough to the northwest of Fiji and are expected to move southwards towards the group.

As the trough and the associated tropical low pressure moves closer to the group, expect occasional rain increasing to periods and becoming frequent and heavy with squally thunderstorms over most places from today.

Wet weather is likely to continue into early next week as the trough is expected to remain slow moving in the vicinity of Fiji. There is a high chance of rainfall exceeding 100mm in 24 hours over most places. With the ground already saturated and with predicted more rain in the coming days, the chance of flooding of low-lying areas is high in the coming days, especially in localised heavy rainfall.

With the high tide still around two metres and water in the rivers are at medium to high flows, predicted more rain further elevates the chances of flooding at catchment level in the coming days.

In anticipation of the predicted rain, the following alerts and warnings remain in force:

1. A “Strong Wind Warning” remains in force for all Fiji waters;

2. A “Heavy Rain Alert” remains in force for the whole of Fiji; and

3. A “Flood Warning” remains in force for all low-lying areas and small streams for the whole of Fiji.

For all Fiji waters, mariners can expect northerly winds of 20 to 25 knots, gusting to 30 knots with rough seas and poor visibility in areas of heavy rain and thunderstorms. Members of the public living in or near flood and landslide-prone areas are once again reminded to remain alert and take appropriate precaution.

All communities are advised to remain updated with the latest weather information and take alerts and warnings seriously as they are issued.