Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Tropical Cyclone Ului forecast to intensify as it heads away from Vanuatu

Posted at 22:02 on 12 March, 2010 UTC

Tropical Cyclone Ului is currently 150 nautical miles Northwest of Vanuatu’s northern islands.

David Gibson, from Vanuatu’s metservice heavy rainfall and flooding will continue to affect the northern and parts of the central islands.

“The system is still in close proximity to the Nothern Islands. We get a lot of rain, and so flooding is possible over low lying areas and also seas are very rough at the moment, up to 35 knots in the open waters, so boats, open vessels, are still advised not to go out to sea at this time. It is heading towards the Solomon Islands and is likely to intensify because it is towards the open waters.”

David Gibson says warnings are likely to remain in place for most of today.

It is expected to increase in strength as it heads towards Te motu province in Solomon Islands.