Category 4 and possibly soon Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Gita is today and tonight heading to Tonga. It is expected to pass directly over the main island and capital, or at least brush the tiny island with the storm’s full force.

Huge seas, torrential rain and damaging winds well over 200km/h are all expected in the southern Tongan island of Tongatapu overnight tonight. The storm may become a Category 5 storm in the Tonga area.

Beyond that it drifts north of New Zealand in a westward motion and remains just as intense for a number of days.

Here in New Zealand we’re unaffected by Cyclone Gita for the coming week, but there remains significant uncertainty about our weather from this coming weekend and into next week due to this storm system tracking into the Tasman Sea.