The tropical cyclone -- which reached Category 5, the highest level -- made landfall in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Monday with winds of approximately 215km/h and has killed at least 27 people so far. Cyclone Harold a category 5 cyclone tracked across the southern-tip of Vanuatu with wind speeds of over 130mph. The cyclone hit Espiritu Santo on Monday then moved southeast over the island of Pentecost hours later. Harold strengthened even further during the day, with winds increasing up to 270 kph and gusts peaking over 300 kph. Tropical Cyclone Harold is expected to continue moving southeast over the next 36-48 hours and should pass close to Fiji, potentially bringing hurricane-force winds to the more populated southern island of Viti Levu on Wednesday. Tropical Cyclone Yasa is a Category 1 storm, which is expected to strengthen to a Category 3 within the next two days. It has been more than a month since Cyclone Harold tore through several countries in the South Pacific, with Vanuatu bearing the brunt of the Category 5 winds. The Vanuatu tropical cyclone tracking map (VTCM) is a tool that helps the local Ni-Van or any user to closely monitor the position and movement of a tropical cyclone should one develops and enters Vanuatu area of responsibility (VAR). "As Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Fiji prepare for humanitarian response, we remember that both these crises highlight the inequality perpetuated by an economic system which puts profit over people and just how critical systems change is towards just recovery," Genevieve Jiva, coordinator of Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, said. Social media video still of Cyclone Harold bringing strong winds in Luganville. Accessed April 6, 2020. Vanuatu Cyclone Tracking Map; Climate Maps; Volcanoes Map; Seismic Map; Tsunami Evacuation Map; hostgator coupon There is No Current Warning. We use cookies in a limited and restricted manner for specific purposes. (CNN)Vanuatu has been hit by one of the strongest recorded storms to ever make landfall on the tiny Pacific nation, forcing the government to suspend coronavirus social distancing measures for evacuees. An average Atlantic hurricane season features 12 tropical storms, 6 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes, and features an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) count of 106. The cyclone risks for Vanuatu this season in contrast to all tropical cyclone seasons is “average risk”. Cyclone Harold brings strong winds in Luganville, Vanuatu April 6, 2020, in this still image obtained from a social media video. winds 15 December 06:00 UTC 157 km/h sust. 12/04/20- Suva, Fiji – Harold made landfall in Vanuatu as a category 5 cyclone on 6 April 2020. The storm blows through Luganville, Vanuatu on Monday. • April 5, 2020. Vanuatu was already in a state of emergency as it prepares for the coronavirus outbreak. Yasa made landfall on Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second-largest island, on 17 December, leaving what Fiji’s Red Cross called a “devastating trail of destruction”. Fiji: Cyclone kills 2, damages properties, roads. By Byron Kaye. 15 Dec, 2020 05:11 PM 2 minutes to read. Early photos from parts of the island show flattened homes and damaged crops. According to the foreign ministry, the last international flight left on March 21. Days before, the storm swept through the Solomon Islands, where a boat was hit by heavy seas associated with the cyclone. (Courtesy of Adra Vanuatu/Social Media via Reuters /-) Cyclone Harold, the most powerful storm in the Pacific in at least two years, has made landfall on the Vanuatu island of Santo, with winds gusting as high as 235km/h. Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Winds over the islands of Vanuatu should lessen on Tuesday as the storms moves away from the nation. The Vanuatu meteorology and geo-hazards department had warned the storm would bring hurricane-force winds with heavy rainfalls and flash flooding over low-lying areas of the islands. Tropical Cyclone Harold packed winds of up to 250 kilometers per hour and was approaching the strength of a Category 5 hurricane, making it the strongest storm to hit. File Photo / Sarah Bicknell . Tens of thousands of people have been affected, with many on the island of Santo moving into sheltered accommodation. The system is moving in a south-westerly direction before it is expected to turn towards the northwest and by Thursday to be back to today's position. The cyclone … Cyclone formed between Vanuatu and Fiji Photo: Fiji Met Service. ANKARA . Locals board up their shops in Vanuatu's capital of Port Vila on April 6, 2020 ahead of Tropical Cyclone Harold. Matt Burrows There is increasing confidence a tropical cyclone brewing between Vanuatu and Fiji could strike New Zealand in the lead-up to Christmas, forecasters say. (ECHO, 15 Dec 2020) Tropical cyclone YASA is forecast to move south-east, approaching Vanua Levu Island on the morning of 17 December, with maximum sustained wind up to 220-230 km/h. Super cyclone Yasa flattened entire villages as it tore through Fiji, aid agencies said Friday, with a baby among two confirmed deaths and rescue workers racing to the worst-hit communities. Some communication lines have been disrupted. A deadly Pacific cyclone intensified as it hit the outer islands of Vanuatu … 09/12/2020. The department has issued a red alert, the highest possible level, as well as several strong wind warning for all coastal areas of Vanuatu. The Weather Channel (2020, April 6) Cyclone Harold Tears Off Roofs, Collapses Buildings on Vanuatu. 13 May 2020. For more details, you can see "our data policy". Yasa was first noted as an area of low pressure to the north of Port Villa in Vanuatu during December 10. Reiterating the role of climate change in the extreme weather events, Christopher Bartlett, an independent climate expert in Vanuatu, highlighted that the cyclone is an outcome of the crime of climate change perpetrated against the Vanuatuan people by fossil fuel companies and the countries that support those corporations. He warned Cyclone Harold could affect more islands than the category five Cyclone Pam in … Cyclone Harold battering Vanuatu, a South Pacific Ocean nation, has been recorded as the most powerful weather event so far this year, according to a climate NGO on Tuesday. Bodies of six of the 27 people missing in the incident have been recovered, according to a. Tropical Cyclone Harold lashed the South Pacific island of Vanuatu , ripping off roofs and downing telecommunications, before moving towards Fiji and Tonga. 1 / 2. A severe cyclone brewing in the South Pacific has rapidly intensified, with winds gusting to … "The Pacific Islands are situated in a region with a multitude of natural disasters, which are becoming increasingly frequent and with far more devastating impacts as a direct result of increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," he added. Cyclone pounds Vanuatu, levelling buildings, amid virus shutdown . Cyclone Harold destroyed many homes in Vanuatu’s Sanma province and damaged schools and health centres, says UN. Video explaining how a cyclone is formed. The cyclone, which formed off … The Vanuatu government declared a state of emergency on March 26 over the coronavirus panedemic, stopping flights in and out of the country. In 2020 in the North Atlantic basin, all of the statistics fell well above listed, featuring a record-breaking 30 tropical storms, 13 hurricanes, and 6 major hurricanes, with an ACE total of 178. 14 Apr 2020 Pacific’s monster storm Harold destroys tourist resorts in Tonga Tropical Cyclone (TC) Source: GDACS, JTWC Past track î 63 –118 km/h î 119 –194 km/h Intensity Warnings Source: VMGD, FMS Severe weather (Vanuatu) Heavy rainfall (Fiji) Flash floods (Fiji) NIUE TUVALU SAMOA 14 December 14 December 11-12 December 12 December 12:00 UTC 65 km/h sust. Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department (2020, April 7) Tropical Cyclone Warning Number 29 for PENAMA, MALAMPA and SHEFA Provinces. The election of a new prime minister in Vanuatu, Bob Loughman, is expected to speed up emergency relief work for residents of the Pacific island nation left without shelter by tropical cyclone … The country has not yet recorded any confirmed cases of the virus, but social gatherings of more than five people have been prohibited, shops, bars and restaurants have been ordered to close by 7:30 p.m. and public transport shuts down at 9 p.m. Vanuatu's national disaster management office said the restrictions would not apply to those seeking safe houses or evacuation centers because of the storm. November 11, 2020 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Vanuatu reported its first COVID-19 case Wednesday, ending the Pacific island nation's status as one of the few remaining virus-free countries in the world. The storm arrives in Luganville (footage courtesy ADRA Vanuatu via Reuters) A cyclone bringing winds of 135mph (215km/h) has arrived in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu. — Australian High Commission in Vanuatu (@AusHCVanuatu) April 5, 2020. A tropical cyclone north of New Zealand may arrive days out from Christmas Day. On Monday, the tiny Pacific island country of Vanuatu was rocked by Cyclone Harold, the second category-5 storm to hit the nation in five years. The VAR is from 10S-23S and from 160E to 175E. The cyclone is the strongest to hit Vanuatu since Cyclone Pam in 2015. NZ Herald. "These already stressful situations, combined with the onslaught of a severe natural disaster, will no doubt create another layer of injustice towards already marginalized groups within our society," Fenton Lutunatabua, regional managing director of 350 Pacific, said in a statement. Cyclone Harold battering Vanuatu, a South Pacific Ocean nation, has been recorded as the most powerful weather event so far this year, according to a climate NGO on Tuesday. Tropical Cyclone Harold packed winds of up to 250 kilometers per hour and was approaching the strength of a Category 5 hurricane, making it the strongest storm to hit Vanuatu … Cyclone Harold brings strong winds in Luganville, Vanuatu April 6, 2020, in this still image obtained from a social media video. By Ivana Kottasová and Brandon Miller, CNN. In response, the European Union (EU) is releasing € 300,000 in humanitarian assistance to address water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, food security and protection needs, which will be delivered by the International Non-Governmental Organisation CARE. It said vessels were "strongly advised not to go out to sea.". Pacific nations, which also faces COVID-19 outbreak impacts, now have to prepare for Cyclone Harold, exacerbated by the climate change which is a crisis that is not caused by Pacific countries, it stressed in the statement. Cyclone Harold - a category five, the highest possible - has sat just to the west of Vanuatu's central islands for much of the past day, gathering significant strength in the past 12 hours. Suva, 16 December 2020 – Two tropical cyclones have formed in the Pacific, signaling the beginning of what is forecast to be a busy season for emergency … Yasa was the second tropical disturbance, as well as the first tropical cyclone and severe tropical cyclone of the 2020–21 South Pacific cyclone season. Super cyclone Yasa slammed into Fiji's second-largest island Thursday, tearing roofs off buildings as it triggered flash floods and landslides in the Pacific island nation. 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