APCEDI Alert 07P, Cyclone Heta #2, 2004

Dear Colleagues

Alert #2

Cyclonic system 07P has now been named Cyclone Heta. It is moving very slowly east-northeast and is now located 200 km northwest of Nukunonu in Tokelau. It has slowly intensified to a “barely Level 1” cyclone and is likely to continue to slowly strengthen. Low level gales and squalls are spreading over Tokelau’s 3 island groups (Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo) and are likely to continue into Saturday. The current track of the storm which still turns it sharply south brings it west of Samoa by Sunday afternoon as a Level 1-2 cyclone and then into Tongan territory. Cyclone Heta is still small but capable of light to locally moderate damage especially to crops and weak structures. Should the storm keep on its current course, torrential rains would continue over Tokelau. These would be capable of causing localised flooding. Flash flooding could be more of a problem on the big islands of Savai’i and Upolu in Samoa as they have much higher mountainous relief. Careful attention should continue to be paid to the system over the weekend and into next week, and all warnings should be heeded as rapid intensification and rapid shifts from the predicted course are possibilities.

More detailed information about the storm can be found on

https://metoc.npmoc.navy.mil//jtwc.html
http://www.met.gov.fj/advisories.html


Kevin Vang
APCEDI Coordinator