Storms likely to hit North

Northern New Zealand can expect at least two tropical cyclones to make landfall in the forthcoming season, forecasters say.

The upcoming cyclone season will last from November to April, and 8-10 tropical cyclones are expected in the south-west Pacific.

Earlier this year, New Zealand was hit by severe flooding, slips and power outages as the remnants of Cyclone Cook and Cyclone Debbie hammered the country.

The two responsible and throughout

Plenty, and Edgecumbe.

Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said this season’s predictions were based on weather patterns from the past 50 years, including seasons from 1969, 1978, 1985 and 2007.

Forecasters studied the tropical cyclones that occurred in those years, paying attention to where they formed and how intense they were.

‘‘We can use that information to give us some guidance as to how the upcoming tropical cyclone season might unfold.’’

Based on the data, Noll said it was likely the Pacific would see about 10 tropical cyclones this season.

Three or four would be Category 3 storms, and at least two will have the potential to increase to Category 4. The latter have wind speeds higher than 159km/h.

‘‘Because of this, all Island communities should remain alert and well-prepared for severe events.’’

Noll said the south-west Pacific as a whole could expect a relatively normal cyclone season, but it was a different story for specific Island nations.

‘‘Those nations that have a normal or above normal risk of cyclones are Tonga, New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu, northern New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.’’

However the recent global trend towards a La Nina climate system would reduce the risk to nations such as the Cook Islands, the Marquesas Islands and French Polynesia.

But regardless of the predictions, he said all Pacific Islands should remain vigilant in case conditions change during the season.

In the meantime, MetService’s James Millward said the next few days would see strong winds and rain spread across the country, but the weather would start to clear from Wednesday. cyclones were also for widespread damage mass evacuations the eastern Bay of for the flooding of

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