27 Jan 2011

Cyclone Wilma weakens as it heads towards Norfolk Island

8:49 am on 27 January 2011

The Fiji Met Office says Cyclone Wilma is expected to start weakening today as it heads towards Norfolk Island.

The cyclone has passed through several Pacific countries, including American Samoa and Tonga, with the effects of the bad weather system felt also in Samoa and Fiji.

Overnight the cyclone has moved well away from Fiji and on its current track is due to past 250 kilometers east of Norfolk Island tomorrow.

Forecaster Amit Singh says the cyclone is over open ocean gusting winds of up to 166 kilometers, or 90 knots, at its centre.

"It is slowly weakening, yes it reached a category four last night. And same throughout the rest of the daytime, and its starting to show signs of weakening now. It's still a category four, and maybe later today will go down to category three, and tomorrow category two like that, a gradual weakening."

Amit Singh says meanwhile, there is another low that's expected to become a depression forming north of Fiji by the weekend, which might develop into another cyclone in the Pacific region.