Wild Weather, the Wobble Effect

[Sevan Makaracı]

 

Weather: Weather Wobble Jet Stream tornados Siberian Freeze Weather Wobble Wild weather , [2] Wobble Clouds Hurricane development Violent Push Weather & ocean currents Europe Weather

Tides and Whirlpools: Storm Clash whirlpools Lurch of earth Tides , [2] Whirlpools Wobble Sloshing

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"We warned at the start of ZetaTalk, in 1995, that unpredictable weather extremes, switching about from drought to deluge, would occur and increase on a lineal basis up until the pole shift. Where this occurred steadily, it has only recently become undeniable. ZetaTalk, and only ZetaTalk, warned of these weather changes, at that early date. Our early warnings spoke to the issue of global heating from the core outward, hardly Global Warming, a surface or atmospheric issue, but caused by consternation in the core. Affected by the approach of Planet X, which was by then starting to zoom rapidly toward the inner solar system for its periodic passage, the core was churning, melting the permafrost and glaciers and riling up volcanoes. When the passage did not occur as expected in 2003 because Planet X had stalled in the inner solar system, we explained the increasing weather irregularities in the context of the global wobble that had ensued - weather wobbles where the Earth is suddenly forced under air masses, churning them. This evolved by 2005 into a looping jet stream, loops breaking away and turning like a tornado to affect the air masses underneath. Meanwhile, on Planet Earth, droughts had become more intractable and deluges positively frightening, temperature swings bringing snow in summer in the tropics and searing heat in Artic regions, with the violence of storms increasing in number and ferocity."

ZETATALK

 

From the ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for February 4, 2012:

 

The wobble seems to have changed, as the temperature in Europe suddenly plunged after being like an early Spring, Alaska has its coldest temps ever while the US and much of Canada is having an extremely mild winter. India went from fatal cold spell to balmy again. Has the Earth changed position vs a vs Planet X to cause this? [and from another] Bitter cold records broken in Alaska - all time coldest record nearly broken, but Murphy's Law intervenes [Jan 30] http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/30/bitter-cold-records-broken-in-alaska Jim River, AK closed in on the all time record coldest temperature of -80°F set in 1971, which is not only the Alaska all-time record, but the record for the entire United States. Unfortunately, it seems the battery died in the weather station just at the critical moment. While the continental USA has a mild winter and has set a number of high temperature records in the last week and pundits ponder whether they will be blaming the dreaded "global warming" for those temperatures, Alaska and Canada have been suffering through some of the coldest temperatures on record during the last week.

There has been no change in the wobble pattern, the wobble has merely become more severe. Nancy noted a Figure 8 format when the Earth wobble first became noticeable, in early 2005, after Planet X moved into the inner solar system at the end of 2003. The Figure 8 shifted along to the east a bit on the globe between 2005 and 2009, (the last time Nancy took its measure) as Planet X came closer to the Earth, encountering the magnetic N Pole with a violent push earlier in the day. But the pattern of the Figure 8 remained essentially the same. So what changed recently that the weather patterns became noticeably different in late January, 2012?

The N Pole is pushed away when it comes over the horizon, when the noon Sun is centered over the Pacific. This regularly puts Alaska under colder air, with less sunlight, and thus the historically low temps there this January, 2012 as the wobble has gotten stronger. But by the time the Sun is positioned over India, the N Pole has swung during the Figure 8 so the globe tilts, and this tilt is visible in the weather maps from Asia. The tilt has forced the globe under the hot air closer to the Equator, warming the land along a discernable tilt demarcation line.

The next loop of the Figure 8 swings the globe so that the N Pole moves in the other direction, putting the globe again at a tilt but this time in the other direction. This tilt is discernable in weather maps of Europe, again along a diagonal line. Depending upon air pressure and temperature differences, the weather on either side of this diagonal line may be suddenly warm or suddenly cold. The tilt and diagonal line lingers to affect much of the US and Canada, but the Figure 8 changes at this point to be an up and down motion, pulling the geographic N Pole south so the US is experiencing a warmer than expected winter under a stronger Sun. Then the cycle repeats, with the magnetic N Pole of Earth pushed violently away again as the Sun is positioned over the Pacific.

 

From the ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for April 6, 2013:

 

Would the Zetas be able to let us know what is causing the early break-up of the Arctic Ice, the ice seems to have taken on a swirling pattern at the same time, would this be wobble related? [and from another] http://www.vancouversun.com/news/national/Canada+Arctic+cracks+spec... The ice in Canada’s western Arctic ripped open in a massive “fracturing event” this spring that spread like a wave across 1,000 kilometres of the Beaufort Sea. Huge leads of water – some more than 500 kilometres long and as much as 70 kilometres across – opened up from Alaska to Canada’s Arctic islands as the massive ice sheet cracked as it was pushed around by strong winds and currents. It took just seven days for the fractures to progress across the entire area from west to east. [and from another] http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=80752&src=iot... A high-pressure weather system was parked over the region, producing warmer temperatures and winds that flowed in a southwesterly direction. That fueled the Beaufort Gyre, a wind-driven ocean current that flows clockwise. The gyre was the key force pulling pieces of ice west past Point Barrow, the northern nub of Alaska that protrudes into the Beaufort Sea.

The Figure 8 formed by the N Pole during the daily Earth wobble has shifted somewhat to the East, due to Planet X positioned more to the right of the Earth during its approach. This was anticipated, and well described in ZetaTalk, the Earth crowding to the left in the cup to escape the approach of Planet X, so the angle between these two planets would change slightly. This shift of the Figure 8 to the East is due to the push against the Earth’s magnetic N Pole occurring sooner each day than prior. Thus instead of occurring when the Sun is high over the Pacific, over New Zealand, it is now occurring when the Sun is high over Alaska. All the wobble points have shifted eastward accordingly.

This has brought a lingering Winter to the western US, and a changed sloshing pattern to the Arctic waters. Instead of Pacific waters being pushed through the Bering Straits into the Arctic when the polar push occurs, the wobble is swinging the Arctic to the right, and then later to the left, creating a circular motion in the waters trapped in the Arctic. Since the Earth rotates counterclockwise, the motion also takes this path. This is yet another piece of evidence that the establishment is hard pressed to explain. They are attempting to ascribe this to high pressure and wind, all of which are not new to the Arctic, but this circular early breakup of ice in the Arctic is new.

[Yvonne Lawson]

Flood fears rise as wicked storm system tears across southern, central U.S.

LOUISVILLE – A violent storm system with relentless rains and fierce winds that pounded the southern and central U.S. over the weekend could lead to treacherous flooding in the days ahead.

The system that stretched from Texas to the Canadian maritime provinces left a path of destruction as it cut eastward Sunday:  Homes were leveled, trees uprooted, cars demolished. Five people were killed, two in suspected tornadoes. Emergency crews struggled to keep up with calls from drivers stranded by rising floodwaters in many locations.

Flooding will continue to be a threat this week as more rain falls and runoffs continue, Accuweather said. More than 200 river gauges reported levels above flood stage from the Great Lakes to eastern Texas, the Weather Channel reported. 

By Sunday, the river gauge near downtown Louisville showed the Ohio River at 34.9 feet. The normal level is about 12 feet. In 1997, the water was measured at 38.8 feet; roughly 50,000 homes flooded, and the Louisville area alone saw $200 million in damage. 

Floodwaters on the Ohio River in Louisville and Cincinnati are at their highest level in about 20 years, the Weather Channel said Sunday. The river was forecast to reach moderate flood stage along the southern border of Ohio and West Virginia in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service.

In Adairville, Ky., Dallas Jane Combs, 79, died after a likely tornado struck her home, the Logan County Sheriff’s Department told TV station WKRN. 

Two bodies were also recovered from submerged vehicles in separate incidents in the state Saturday

Homes in Utica, Ind. sit submerged in the floodwaters of the Ohio river on Feb. 25, 2018.  Pat McDonogh, The Courier-Journal, via USA TODAY NETWORK

Read more:   https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2018/02/25/kentucky-tornadoe...

[jorge namour]

Heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and showers of HAIL on the Medina SAUDI ARABIA

2018-02-24
http://www.alriyadh.com/1664299

TRADUCED
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ar&tl=en&js=y&...

Heavy rain continued on Madinah accompanied by thunderstorms and showers of hail that included parts of the city and its environs

Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah has been living in the rain since the early hours of the morning.

On the other hand, heavy rains on Madinah, accompanied by thunderstorms and hail showers, resulted in the disruption of traffic on the Medina-Yanbu road.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/denver-temperature-drops-72-degrees-in...

CBS News February 20, 2018, 9:42 PM

Temperature in Denver plummets 72 degrees in 40 hours, officials say

DENVER -- Sitting at a mile above sea level and in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is known for having an extreme climate. But the most recent temperature swing ranked as one of the biggest ever observed, CBS Denver reports.

According to the National Weather Service in Boulder, after a high of 69 degrees at 2:27 p.m. Sunday, Denver's official low hit 3 below zero just over 40 hours later Tuesday at 6:45 a.m.

The 72 degree drop tied for the eighth biggest swing ever noted in a period of two days or less. It also landed in the top 20 biggest temperature swing events for Denver since records began in 1872, according to the National Weather Service.

Neither the 69 degree high or the 3 below zero low were new daily records but they were close. Sunday's record high was 73 degrees set in 2016 and Tuesday's record low was 5 below zero set in 1955.

Oddly enough it was the second time in just four months that such an extreme temperature swing was observed. In October 2017 the temperature dropped 71 degrees between the 25 and 27.

[KM]

http://floodlist.com/america/usa-canada-midwest-ontario-floods-febr...

USA and Canada – 2 Dead, 1 Missing as Rivers Overflow in Midwest and Ontario  

Days of rain combined with snowmelt have pushed rivers and streams out of their banks in several US Midwest states and southern Ontario, Canada.

In the Midwest, NWS reported rivers above major flood stage in 19 locations, 54 above moderate flood stage and 131 above minor flood stage.

Rivers above flood stages in Midwest USA, as of 22 February, 2018.
Purple – major flood stage; Red – moderate flood stage; Orange – minor flood stage. Image: NOAA / NWS

In the USA, 2 people have reportedly died as a result of the flooding. A young child is missing after a vehicle was swept away by flood water in Ontario.

Further heavy rain brought by a winter storm from Wednesday 21 February has also affected areas further south. Flash flood warnings are in effect for parts of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Shreveport in Louisiana recorded 95 mm of rain in 24 hours to 22 February.

Illinois

The Illinois River threatened to flood parts of Marseilles, south west of Chicago. A mandatory evacuation notice was issued on Wednesday, 21 February.

The City of Marseilles said “Due to rising river levels we are issuing a mandatory evacuation for residents South of IM Canal and East of Main St This includes Mill St. Residents have 5 to 6 hours to evacuate.”

The Illinois River at Morris reached 23.79 feet late on 21 February, above major flood stage of 22 feet.

In Peotone, south of Chicago, a woman died when she lost control of her car and drove into flood water.

Michigan

In Fairplain Township, Montcalm County, Michigan, a young girl died in standing water in her family’s backyard on Wednesday 21 February, according to the Associated Press.

Evacuations were carried out in Croton Township, Newaygo County, as the Muskegon River burst its banks. The Muskegon River at Croton Dam crested at 11.51 feet early on 21 Wednesday. Newaygo County Emergency Services said:

“Moderate flooding is occurring on the Muskegon River. Inundation of homes, roads, and structures is occurring. If you live within the impacted area, and you have not already done so, you should evacuate now.”

Authorities in Lansing, Michigan, declared a state of emergency and recommended the evacuations in vulnerable areas after the Grand River rose.

“While the rain has stopped, we are expecting significant flooding in certain areas of the city,” said Mayor Andy Schor.

“Declaring a State of Emergency allows us to have all hands-on deck to proactively provide the necessary information and resources to protect our residents. The City of Lansing is prepared for emergencies like this, thanks to the efforts of our Emergency Management Center, first responders, city employees and the support of the American Red Cross and volunteers.”

As of 22 February, the Grand River at Lansing stood at 14.06 feet. The National Weather Service predicts the Grand River in Lansing will crest at 14.6 feet, nearly three feet above flood stage by late Thursday.

Indiana

In Elkhart and Goshen, local officials declared a state of emergency. About 20 people had been evacuated from homes in Elkhart by emergency crews using boats.

The St Joseph River at Elkhart stood at 28.4 feet on 22 February, above major flood stage of 27 feet.

The Elkhart River at Goshen crested on 21 February at 12.49 feet, well above the 11 feet major flood stage.

The St Joseph River at South Bend reached record levels of 12.9 feet on 21 February (previous record was 10.9 feet set in 1993). Major flood stage is 9 feet.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg said:

“The City has formally declared an emergency. Please be patient with closures and detours as the situation is still evolving. This is now a 500-year flood.”

Record flooding is also occurring in Niles, where the St. Joseph River stood at 16.87 feet on 21 February. The previous record was 15.1 feet set in 1950.

Wisconsin

Surface flooding in the Janesville area of Wisconsin left people stranded in vehicles. Police and firefighters carried out flood rescues.

The Sugar River at Albany reached 17.31 feet on 21 February, well above major flood stage of 14 feet.

Ohio

Parts of Ohio have seen flooding since 16 February.

The Ohio River at Cincinnati crested on 20 February at 55.38 feet, but remains swollen and above minor flood stage (52 feet) as of 22 February at 54.03 feet. NWS predict river levels will remain above minor flood stage for the next 5 days at least.

Ontario, Canada

Torrential rains and mild temperatures pushed The Grand River in southern Ontario burst its banks on Wednesday, 21 February.

Local media report that about 4,900 people in roughly 2,200 homes were under an evacuation order covering neighbourhoods surrounding the river in Orangeville.

Also in Orangeville, a young child is still missing after a car he was in was swept off a flooded road and plunged into the Grand River.

The Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management in Ontario also reported flooding in the city of Brantford. The office said:

“Flooding caused by an ice jam on the Grand River is affecting the City of Brantford and surrounding area, forcing evacuations, road closures and impacting local infrastructure.

The City of Brantford has declared an emergency due to flooding and is urging residents in low lying areas to evacuate.”

Rainfall, 24 hours to 21 February, 2018

Midwest, USA

• Lansing/Capital City, Mi. – 57 mm
• Grand Rapids/Kent Co Mi – 64 mm
• South Bend/St.Joseph Co., In – 69.6 mm
• Chicago/O’hare, Il. – 54 mm

Ontario, Canada

• Lurgan Beach – 64.6 mm
• Lucknow – 76.0 mm
• Flesherton – 73.1 mm

[Gerard Zwaan]

UK and Europe to be plunged into it's coldest period for years as a dominant high-pressure system brings in frigid Arctic air from Syberia

Earthwindmap
A dominant high-pressure system is developing over northwestern Europe and is set to plunge the area into Arctic type conditions for the next ten days at least.
Western Europe and the UK will suffer their coldest period of the winter with many countries having to endure their coldest spell in years.
According to the Met Office, cold air will spread from Syberia carried from the jet stream towards the UK and western Europe.
Normally the jet stream this time of the year meanders across the Atlantic bringing cloudy, rain and mild weather, however later in the week the jet stream will take on an unusual path coming in from the northeast bringing in Arctic temperatures
By Monday it will turn very cold more widely and this will probably be the start of the coldest spell of the winter.
Many places will remain dry into the start of next week, but snow showers are expected to develop in some places, particularly across eastern and southern England.
The cold easterly wind will persist bringing a significant wind chill which will make it feel several degrees colder than thermometers indicate.
The high pressure over Scandinavia bringing the cold easterly flow is expected to remain in place for several days and there are signs that the cold spell in the UK and parts of Europe is likely to last well into next week and perhaps into the following week.
Indeed, there is potential for this cold spell to be the coldest for several years in parts of the UK and Europe”.
March 1st is the start of meteorological Spring, but this year the first week of March is likely to feel distinctly wintry.

Source: http://www.thebigwobble.org/2018/02/uk-and-europe-to-be-plunged-int...

[KM]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5415431/New-Zealand-blasted...

New Zealand blasted by heavy dump of SNOW as ex-cyclone Gita wreaks havoc and turns weather patterns on their head

• Ski fields in New Zealand have been hit with up to one metre of snow after storm
• The snow dump in the south of the South Island is unseasonable for February 
• In the north of the Island, ex-cyclone Gita wreaked havoc throughout Tuesday
• Thousands have been isolated due to flooded roads, and more are without power
• Winds hit more than 140km/hr, pulling trees down and destroying property

New Zealand's weather has taken a bizarre turn as Cyclone Gita unleashes damaging winds and rainfall on the country, with a heavy dump of snow hitting the ski fields of the South Island.

Coronet Peak has had about 10-15cm of snow at the base of its ski fields, and snow drifts of more than one metre have blanketed the Remarkables.

Ski manager Ross Lawrence toldStuff across the area there was 50cm of snow on average, but he didn't expect it to last long. 

'Remember it is only February so the sun will come out again soon,' he said.  

Some parts of the Remarkables ski area, located in the south of New Zealand's South Island, received a metre of snow after ex-Cyclone Gita wreaked havoc further north

At Coronet Peak, 10-15cm of snow dusted ski fields in an unseasonable dump  (pictured)

Because it is still summer in New Zealand, the hefty dump of snow isn't expected to last long

In Golden Bay, slips have turned the one road out into a river, which has left roughly 6000 residents and visitors trapped. Authorities say it will take days until they are able to reopen even one lane of Takaka Hill Road.   

A state of emergency remains in place in five districts, but has been lifted in Christchurch and the Grey District.

On Wednesday, more than 120 schools and 70 early learning centres were closed as the result of the storm.

The tropical storm devastated the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga last week. 

Tens of thousands were without power on Tuesday night as locals were warned to prepare for floods, huge waves and gusts of winds reaching close to 200km/h. 

New Zealand Defence Force troops were deployed as reports emerged of homeowners trapped on their roofs by flood waters.

More than 60 tourists, mostly from China, were reportedly trapped inside two tour buses in Whataroa, on the South Island, as the eye of the storm passed through. 

The council has urged people to stay inside and not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary.    

Even before the storm hit in full force, heavy rains in the centre of New Zealand caused flooding in Christchurch, prompting a warning from Mayor Lianne Dalziel.

'The full impact of the storm will be felt overnight and tomorrow morning,' she said, urging residents of low-lying areas to evacuate.

'We are expecting homes to be flooded.'

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said troops had fanned out to areas likely to be the hardest hit and the national Civil Defence office in Wellington was on standby to help.

'My message still to people is please look out for your local warnings and expect disruption to travel and please just be careful,' she told reporters at parliament.

Cyclone Gita hit the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga last week, packing winds up to 275 km/h. 

Fiji escaped major damage but Tonga suffered widespread destruction and flooding. Earlier, the storm had caused extensive damage in Samoa and American Samoa.

[jorge namour]

Heavy rainfall, flooding hit Israel on a stormy Saturday

02.17.18

https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5117745,00.html

Tour bus with 50 Ukrainian tourists extracted from Tze'elim Stream after it got stuck; parts of highways 31 and 90 closed due to inclement weather conditions.

Heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and hail hit Israel Friday night, continuing into Saturday morning.

The Israel Police's Ein Gedi rescue unit, with the help of the Arad Police, extracted a bus with some 50 tourists from Ukraine around 5:30am after it got stuck in the Tze'elim Stream. No one was hurt.

Meanwhile, highway 31 was blocked for traffic between Arad and the Dead Sea after rocks fell onto the road.

Hail in Kiryat Malachi

[SongStar101]

Cyclone Gita predicted to hit New Zealand on Tuesday

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101538263/gita-predicted-to-hit-ne...

West Coast residents still reeling from a devastating storm a fortnight ago could be among those worst hit when Cyclone Gita, which wreaked havoc in Tonga, makes landfall.

MetService has issued a severe weather watch, warning the cyclone - likely to cross the country late Tuesday or early Wednesday - could bring highly impactful severe weather" to central New Zealand.

More than 100 millimetres of rain could fall within 24 hours in regions including Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, parts of the West Coast, Wellington and Horowhenua.

Gale-force winds, with gusts of up to 180kmh in the Southern Alps, and costal inundation are also being predicted, with Nelson and parts of the West Coast likely to be worst affected.

READ MORE:
* Cyclone Gita will be 'a significant storm' when it reaches NZ - Met...
* Warning to prepare for heavy rain
* Tongan families carve out new reality post-Gita 

Civil Defence and Emergency Management director Sarah Stuart-Black said Gita "has the potential to pack a punch and cause a lot of disruption".

[KM]

http://strangesounds.org/2018/02/mysterious-wind-blows-down-trees-w...

Mysterious wind blows down big trees at once in Olympic National Park Washington – Small quake recorded – Weather experts baffled

What in the world could possibly blow down more than 100 trees in the middle of a national park when no other major weather event was recorded in the area? A mysterious incident, believed to be meteorological in nature, knocked down over 100 trees in a Washington state national park and has left weather experts baffled. The head-scratching event occurred in the early morning hours of January 27th at the Olympic National Park. Whatever the force was, it wound up knocking down dozens of fairly large trees in the forest which spawned a rumbling sound that drew concerned from people living nearby.

What in the world could possibly blow down more than 100 trees in the middle of a national park when no other major weather event was recorded in the area? Photo: Olympic National Park

Although initially presumed to have been a microburst based on the appearance of the downed trees, a local weather watcher named Cliff Mass dug deeper into the story and realized that it was really more of a riddle than that.

Nobody is able to explain what happened to these trees in a national park in Washington State. Photo: Olympic National Park

It would appear that the force needed to knock down these trees would have to have been considerable and a radar look at the region during that time indicates no such circumstances which could have conjured the mighty wind.

A look at other weather measurements also failed to yield any significant clues, although, intriguingly, a seismic recorder in the area did pick up some rumblings which are thought to have been created by all of the trees hitting the ground.

A small earthquake was also reported in the same region on the same day, Jan. 27, 2018.

According to Mass the only weather event which may even be remotely related to the weird tree fall could be a frontal zone due to have hit the area later in the evening and even he is weary of that explanation.

In the wee morning hours of Jan. 27, 2018, some kind of significant wind event managed to blow down 110 trees across a large swath of forest on the north shore of Lake Quinault, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

The case has proven to be so perplexing that the fastidious researcher even joked that “perhaps the Sasquatch or alien visitation explanations should be taken seriously!”

With that in mind, it’s probably only a matter of time before someone puts forward a meteor-related theory for the mini-Tunguska event.

[SongStar101]

 http://www.zetatalk.com/index/signma08.htm

The conservationists currently visiting Australia say climate change is raising sea levels and increasing the frequency of events like cyclones which will one day make some low-lying Pacific island nations uninhabitable.’

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Cyclone Gita: Tonga declares state of emergency as storm strengthens

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/12/tonga-state-of-emerge...

The category four storm has already caused widespread damage in neighbouring Samoa and American Samoa and is due to hit Tonga at night.

The island nation of Tonga has declared a state of emergency as it braces for the wrath of Tropical Cyclone Gita, which is bearing down on the island nation after causing widespread damage in neighbouring Samoa and American Samoa.

The Tongan government declared a state of emergency on Monday morning to allow its 100,000 inhabitants to prepare for the category four storm. Gita is expected to intensify into a category five storm in the coming hours, and is heading for Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia later in the week.

The cyclone was expected to hit Tonga at around 8pm local time. Evacuation centres had instructed people to be inside by 6pm.

Polikalepo Kefu, Tonga’s Red Cross communications manager, said the majority of Tongans were “very fearful”.

“We have not had a category five cyclone strike the main island before and everyone is wondering how strong is will be,” he said.

“Tourists have mostly evacuated or they are staying in their hotels and being looked after by their heads of mission.”

The Tongan National Emergency Management Committee said that at its peak Gita was expected to pack winds of up to 200kph, and people living in flood-prone or low-lying areas should evacuate.

Tonga Police (@TongaPolice)

Tonga National Emergency committee recommends Acting PM to declare Tonga in State of emergency. Hon Poasi Tei encouraging families to prepare for Cyclone Gita as this is the strongest to hit Tonga #TCGita

February 11, 2018

Acting prime minister Semisi Sika said the state of emergency was enacted to minimise loss of life and give people time to trim trees, secure furniture, and safely stow their pets before moving to an evacuation centre.

Evacuation centres had been set up on the main island of Tongatapu, as well as Vava’u, Ha’apai and ‘Eua.

Local news website Matangi Tonga reported emergency preparations were hampered by shops being closed on Sunday.

The Fiji Meteorological Service was warning Gita could strengthen to a category five storm by the time it made landfall with Tonga and that the worst of the storm was forecast to hit in the middle of the night on the main island.

Ofa Fa’anunu, Tonga MetService director, told RNZ the main island of Tonga was low-lying and the northern shores were vulnerable to storm surges.

“We are worried because it looks like it will hit in the night time as well but heavy rain and flooding is always a problem on the main island with water settling because it is quite flat,” he said.

Gita was a category one storm when in struck American Samoa and Samoa over the weekend, with parts of both islands remaining underwater. Thousands of people lost communications and electricity, and health authorities were concerned about the spread of water-borne diseases, as well as dengue fever.

Hanna Butler - Red Cross (@hannarosebutler)

Pics just in of #Samoa Red Cross teams carrying out assessments & supporting people in evacuation centres following Cyclone #Gita #TCGita Photo credit: Samoa Red Cross pic.twitter.com/tG4SiNS2XC

February 11, 2018

Red Cross Pacific Communication manager Hanna Butler said the clean-up in Samoa and American Samoa could take weeks or months, but a full-scale assessment of the extent of the damage was still being pieced together.