Another tropical cyclone could be headed for Tonga next week as the clean up from Gita goes on.
New Zealand WeatherWatch said this morning the new tropical cyclone was the fourth after three active tropical cyclones affected the Australian area alone this week and more on the way for the zone north of New Zealand.
It said although it is too early to confirm today, this next potential tropical cyclone looks like it will track south east from Fiji to Tonga and then out over open waters
The cyclone would be called Jo, the New Zealand Herald report said this morning March 25.
New Zealand news media reports said this morning New Zealand will be getting a drenching this weekend and a tropical cyclone could bring more bad weather.
Tropical Cyclone Iris has formed just west of Vanuatu and Weather Watch said New Zealand could be hit with the remnants.
“Weather Watch says in its latest update that while Iris is not a major storm the tropical low-pressure system may linger in the Vanuatu/New Caledonia area for a full week, potentially longer.”
Tropical cyclone Gita
Tropical cyclone Gita was Category 4 when it struck Tonga in February 12.
The kingdom was severely affected.
In its latest report on March 11 on the state of Tonga after Cyclone Gita, the government said 819 households had been destroyed and 3889 households damaged.
In its report in February it said the Tongan government, NGOS and overseas aid donors are working to clean up and restore services after cyclone Gita, but 205 families are still in evacuation centres and the country’s agricultural sector has been severely hit.
Director of the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO), Leveni Aho, said the fisheries sector in Tongatapu and ‘Eua had been hit hard by Cyclone Gita.
About 40% of fishing boats were damaged and fish fences were damaged.