A tropical cyclone alert has been issued for Niue as Cyclone Dovi moves southwest past the southern Cook Islands.
Cyclone Dovi is about 680 kilometres north-west of Rarotonga, moving southwest at 7 knots and intensifying with winds of 70 kilometres per hour close to the centre, increasing in the next 12 hours.
A gale warning is in place for Palmerston Island, the western-most island in the group, and a strong-wind warning for the rest of the Cooks.
The cyclone will pass near Palmerston Island overnight, with very rough to high seas with damaging heavy swells.
These are expected to cause flooding in coastal and low lying areas.
