“The forecast right now looks like severe Tropical Cyclone Gita will become a Category 5 by 7 o’clock this evening,” says Director of Tonga MET, 'Ofa Fa'anunu at a press conference this morning. The cyclone is the strongest in recorded history to approach Tonga this evening. 

“Category 5 means that the winds have reached 110 knots. This is around 220 and 230 km per hour winds.”

Tonga MET is urging people to prepare and to evacuate to centres such as the Latter Day Saints churches that can withstand the strength of the cyclone.

“We’re talking about Category 5, the strongest category for a cyclone. We need to move now to evacuation centres. No one will be able to move about tonight.”

NEMO (the National Emergency Management Office) is expecting a huge impact with major structural damage to buildings and infrastructure, potentially a very high storm surge, as well as heavy rain and flooding that comes with it.

“The winds should start reaching gale force winds tonight. We expect around midnight for it to be the closest to the main island and when the winds will be strongest.”

“People need to understand that from 7:00pm or close to it, or even 6:00pm, from tonight to tomorrow morning, we will have the cyclone at Category five over Tongatapu and ‘Eua.”

“We should not talk about when it will be strongest and when it will be weakest”.

He reiterated that the cyclonic winds “will be 110 knots, starting this evening, throughout the night and the cyclone will be closest at around midnight to 1:00am where the winds will be at its strongest.”

The government has declared Tonga a state of emergency.

Fiji Met will update their forecast later today.

Forecast details from Fiji Meteorology Services below as at Sunday 11 February 2018.

Category Cyclone 1 has mean winds 34-47 knots with a central pressure greater than 985 hPa
Category Cyclone 2 has mean winds 48-63 knots with a central pressure 985-970 hPa
Category Cyclone 3 has mean winds 64-85 knots with a central pressure 970-945 hPa
Category Cyclone 4 has mean winds 86-107 knots with a central pressure 945-910 hPa
Category Cyclone 5 has mean winds greater than 107 knots with a central pressure less than 910 hPa