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Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian is closing in on Vava‘u tonight with huge gusts and heavy rain sweeping the group, and much worse to come, with “phenomenal seas” and very destructive 90-125 knots gusts predicted before dawn. At midnight, Vava‘u residents said the gusts were getting much stronger. In its 12:30am advisory for Saturday January 11, Fua‘amotu TCWC stated that the Category 4 cyclone was located about 125km northwest of Hunga (VV) and 125km northwest of Longomapu (VV) or about 210km north-northwest of Lifuka at 10:00pm and moving southeast at 5 knots.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian heading towards Vava‘u and Ha‘apai, has islanders hunkering down and expecting a battering from the Category 4 storm that is forecast to bring destructive winds over central Tonga overnight, with gusts of 80 to 115 knots at times.

Upgraded to Category 3, Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian is intensifying and currently threatens Tonga's northern Niuafo‘ou Island where damaging gale force winds are expected this afternoon and evening. The Fua‘amotu Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC) at 1:15pm also issued a gale warning for Vavau, and a strong wind warning for Niuatoputapu.

Now upgraded to Category 2 storm in Tonga, Tropical Cyclone Ian is moving towards Tonga’s northernmost island, Niuafo‘ou. On its current track, TC Ian may bring damaging gale force winds to Niuafo‘ou in the next 12 to 24 hours, and is expected to turn and move to the southeast over Tonga during the next three days.

Tonga’s Minister of Finance, Hon. Lisiate ‘Akolo was not allowed into a Special Meeting of the Tongan Cabinet, that started at 2:00 pm this afternoon.

UPDATE: A tropical cyclone alert and strong wind warning remains in force for Vava‘u and Ha‘apai as a tropical depression strengthened into Tropical Cyclone Ian Category 1, located halfway between Vava‘u, Tonga, and Lifuka, Fiji, this morning. Tonga's Fua’amotu Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre issued a third Tropical Cyclone Advisory at 4:30pm today, January 6, 2014 as Cyclone Ian slowly moves closer to Tonga.

Fire gutted a three level building at Fungamisi, Neiafu, on Saturday evening. Photos by LIsa Molloy.

Tonga is expecting another King Tide this evening, with some sea flooding expected when the high tide occurs at 8:57 pm in Nuku‘alofa. The extreme high tides experienced this week are expected to continue through to Sunday.

The ‘Ikale Tahi have been given the challenge of playing the All Blacks at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in the United Kingdom.