18 Jan 2016

Tropical cyclone warning issued for Niue

3:56 pm on 18 January 2016

A tropical cyclone alert has been issued for Niue as cyclone Victor continues to move south between the island and the southern Cook Islands.

Map tracking Cyclone Victor

Map tracking Cyclone Victor Photo: Fiji Met Service

The advisory warns of damaging gale force winds for Niue in the next 24 to 48 hours.

The system is still a category three as it moves south at 11 kilometres an hour, with average sustained winds of 120 kilometres an hour, gusting to 140 kilometres an hour.

In the Cook Islands, a gale warning remains in place for the atoll of Palmerston and a strong wind warning remains for the rest of the southern islands.

The cyclone is expected to continue in a southerly direction between Palmerston and Niue, which are located hundreds of kilometers to either side of the storm system, before weakening and veering west.