Tropical Cyclone Evan has hit Samoa and is now on its way to Tonga before it is projected to head to Fiji in an intensified form.

The tropical cyclone forecaster from the Nadi Weather Office confirmed that based on all the information and the system, Cyclone Evan is expected to reach Category 4 when it enters the Fiji waters on Sunday.

The cyclone is currently located 1,030 kilometres East-North-East of Labasa.

Its actual position is 13.4 Decimal South 171.6 Decimal West.

Evan was moving eastwards and as expected it is now moving in a northerly direction.

By midday today, it is expected to turn Southwest and head towards the northern islands of Tonga.

Tonga will feel the effects of Cyclone Evan later tomorrow.

For Fiji, we need to be prepared as the cyclone continues to intensify and head our way.

We are likely to feel the effects from late Sunday.

Fiji will generally have good weather today and tomorrow however the weather will start to worsen from late Sunday.

Meanwhile, Cyclone Evan has hit Samoa causing widespread destruction and claiming three lives.

A state of disaster has been declared after the storm made landfall in Apia yesterday, carrying winds of up to 110 kilometres per hour.

Three people have died in the cyclone which destroyed homes and crops, brought down trees, flooded buildings and cut power.

New Zealand’s High Commissioner in Apia Nick Hurley told Radio New Zealand International the storm had a huge impact.

Photos are also coming through from Samoa of a number of roofs lying on the road, electric poles down and many buildings damaged.

A lot of people don’t have any water.

The trees have snapped, in a lot of cases have actually come down across roads, crashed into the fales, onto the houses.

There has been flooding around Apia making it very difficult for people to move around.

On its current path it is expected to hit the western part of Samoa this morning.


Story by: Vijay Narayan