Results for Natural events

A Tropical Disturbance, TD02F, located west of Fiji, no longer poses a threat to Tonga, the Tonga Meteorological Service advised this morning, 3 January. “The potential to develop into a Tropical Cyclone remains very low with no further intensification.”

The Home Reef Volcano is growing and changing shape with a new lava lobe covering an estimated 75,000 square meters on the island between 4-15 December 2024, Tonga Geological Services reported today. The volcanic activity poses low risk to the Vava’u and Ha’apai communities. However, all Mariners are advised to sail beyond two nautical miles from Home Reef until further notice.

There was no tsunami threat from a Magnitude 6 earthquake, centred 136 km west of Neiafu, Vava'u, and north west of Ha'apai at 4:03am today, 16 December, the Tonga National Tsunami Centre reported.

Extraordinarily heavy rainfall in southern Tonga during October smashed a national record, and in ‘Eua the flash flooding coincided with extreme high tides.

A total of 118 earthquakes were detected within the Tonga region in September. Due to upgraded earthquake detectors, Tonga Geological Services is recording an average number of 100 earthquakes monthly - twice as many as before they had the equipment. "It does not mean that more earthquakes are happening, but that we are getting more data and detecting more earthquakes," said TGS officer, Mele Manu.

A  gale warning for Tongatapu and ‘Eua  was issued by Tonga Meteorological Services this afternoon, 16 October 2024, following a heavy rain and flash flood advisory issued earlier today for southern Tonga.

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake was felt throughout 'Eua, Ha'apai, Vava'u, and Tongatapu this morning at 10:50 am, at a depth of 10 km, Tonga Geological Services reported.

A shortage of workers has caused frequent delays for the building of 14 tsunami relief houses at Ta’anga in ‘Eua, at the resettlement area for some of the tsunami-affected families from Mango, Ha’apai. It is hoped that the homes that were set to be completed by May 2024 will be completed before Christmas.

The Tonga Red Cross Society (TRCS), an organization dedicated to helping thousands of vulnerable people in Tonga, now needs a little help itself, to escape increasing floodwaters around the termite-ridden buildings in Nuku'alofa that it has worked in for decades. TRCS Secretary General, Sione Taumoefolau, told Matangi Tonga that they are organizing a fundraising ball on 22 November, to start raising funds toward constructing a new service centre that will cost around $15-16 million.