Fiji is being affected today by offshore Severe Tropical Cyclone Vaianu and NZ has the chance of a direct hit this weekend.

The severe Category 3 tropical cyclone (out of a maximum scale of 5) is currently situated west of Fiji, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms and potentially damaging northerlies today to the island nation, mostly around northern and western parts of Viti Levu and the western most islands. The storm should remain centred offshore.

Vaianu will track offshore for a number of days, before curving into northern New Zealand this Sunday where a direct hit is certainly possible (although we’ll still need a few more days to lock it in and be more specific).

We have the latest maps, tracking, wind and rainfall over the coming 8 days – and we’ll have daily updates until Vaianu is no longer a storm in the Fiji and New Zealand areas.