Wind watches cover every corner of New Zealand’s North Island as Tropical Cyclone Vaianu tracks south from Fiji with sustained winds exceeding 150km/h.

MetService issued the watches on Wednesday, an unusually early alert — severe weather watches are normally issued one to three days before an event. The extended lead time reflects the potential severity of what’s approaching.

The Category 3 cyclone is expected to reach New Zealand on Sunday, bringing what MetService described as “damaging, potentially life-threatening winds,” heavy rain, and hazardous coastal conditions. While uncertainty remains about the storm’s exact track, the heaviest rain is likely across the north and east of the North Island, though large parts of the country could feel the effects.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called Vaianu a “very significant and damaging weather event” on Wednesday, saying government agencies were “on full notice.” He urged residents to stock up on supplies and secure loose items around their properties.

Meteorologist John Law said the several days of advance notice amounted to “an early severe weather watch, a heads-up for significant weather this weekend.” As the forecast sharpens, the watch could be upgraded to a formal severe weather warning.

New Zealand has already endured a brutal storm season. January brought torrential rain and two fatal landslides to the North Island. February saw more flooding, landslides, and widespread power outages. The memory of Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 — which killed 11 people, triggered roughly 850,000 landslides, and became the country’s costliest weather disaster on record — remains fresh.

Separately, Cyclone Maila was upgraded to a Category 5 system in the Solomon Sea on Wednesday, with winds near 215km/h and gusts up to 295km/h. That storm is heading toward far north Queensland and will not affect New Zealand, MetService said.

Sources