Vanuatu braces for impact of category 5 system
Vanuatu is preparing for a direct hit from category 5 Cyclone Lola which was expected to make landfall Tuesday afternoon. Queensland is not expected to be impacted.
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The Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu is preparing for a direct hit from Tropical Cyclone Lola which was expected to make landfall on Tuesday afternoon.
As predicted the storm intensified Monday night and formed a Category 3 system before powering up into a Category 5 cyclone at 6am Tuesday morning, Fiji Standard Time.
Winds of up to 225km/h have been recorded at the centre of the storm which is now about 150km east of the largest island in the Vanuatu group.
The cyclone is expected to move south-west on Tuesday, passing over Sanma province, which is home to Vanuatu’s second most-populated city Luganville.
Cyclone Lola lies within Fiji’s area of responsibility, and is moving in a general south to southwest direction.
No impact to Queensland in terms of rain and strong winds is expected.
Bureau of Meteorology community information officer Daniel Hayes said there was no doubt northern Vanuatu Islands were in the firing line.
“At this point the system tracks straight through Vanuatu but I’m not sure what their contingency is in terms of that,” he said.
“We’re taking very destructive winds around the core and the wind speeds themselves are more than 107 knots, we’re talking over 200km/h.
“It’s not great for the folks over there but it seems unlikely to make it into our area of the Coral Sea.
“And it’s unlikely to have any impact certainly from a precipitation point of view for Queensland.”
An El Nino year declaration said by the Bureau meant a reduced likelihood of cyclone activity in the Coral Sea this storm season, Mr Hayes said, however sea surface temps above 26 C which is one component critical for cyclone formation have been well recorded in the lead up to the formation of TC Lola.
Cyclone #Lola will bring damaging winds and intense rainfall to the islands of #Vanuatu in the South Pacific on Wednesday, local time. Satellite view: pic.twitter.com/vYGWKgPQUL
— Zoom Earth (@zoom_earth) October 23, 2023
Tropical Cyclone Lola is now a powerful category 5.
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) October 23, 2023
Max winds are just over 200 km/h & forecast to increase to more than 220 km/h.
Min air pressure 940 hPa.
The clear eye ðŸ‘ï¸ is a reflection of its high intensity.@FJMETservice has #CycloneLola impacting Vanuatu tonight & Wed pic.twitter.com/OBCIdrMfnO
“The typical outlook for an El Nino year means we would see a reduced chance of cyclones however we don’t have particularly cool temperatures around and they’re still quite warm, at this point it’s a wait and see situation,” he said.
Forming into a Category 5 storm on October 24 makes Lola the earliest forming Category 5 Cyclone on record, according to Pacific Island weather sources, however this remains to be validated by the Fiji MetService.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology Cyclone Lola may get close to the eastern boundary of the Australian area of responsibility on Thursday, before turning towards the southeast and moving away.
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Originally published as Vanuatu braces for impact of category 5 system
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