Holy Shite - Fiji hit by Cat5 Winston - strongest cyclone in her recorded history

[malaise]

https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3249
<snip>
Mighty Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Winston, upgraded to 165 mph winds at 1 pm EDT Friday by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), is now the strongest tropical cyclone and first Category 5 storm on record to hit the South Pacific island nation of Fiji. The eye of Winston passed over the small Fiji island of Vanua Balavu near 1 pm EST Friday, when the storm was at Category 5 strength. At that time, the island's airport was in the western eyewall of Winston, and measured 10-minute average winds of 106 mph (perhaps roughly equivalent to 120 mph winds using the U.S. 1-minute averaging time.) Winston's central pressure was estimated at 920 mb at 1 pm EST Friday by the Fiji Meteorological Service. Winston is tracking north of its previous forecast track, and is now expected to make landfall on Fiji's second largest island, Vanua Levu, near Nambouwalu at approximately 0600 UTC (1 am EST) Saturday, as a Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). This would make Winston the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the South Pacific waters east of Australia.

[rateyes]

1. Damn!

[n2doc]

2. Poor People. Hope they had good shelters

[malaise]

3. I doubt it

The South Pacific doesn't get these big ones

[Eugene]

4. Record-setting Tropical Cyclone Winston re-energizes as it punishes Fiji

Source: CNN

Record-setting Tropical Cyclone Winston re-energizes as it punishes Fiji

By Kevin Conlon and Joshua Berlinger, CNN
Updated 1540 GMT (2340 HKT) February 20, 2016 | Video Source: CNN

(CNN) - The most powerful storm on record in the Southern Hemisphere is reintensifying over open waters after making landfall in Fiji on Saturday evening.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar said Tropical Cyclone Winston weakened slightly after making landfall in Fiji at around 7 p.m. Saturday (2 a.m. ET), but now that it's back churning over warm water, its eye is forming once again.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said winds were clocked at nearly 162 mph with gusts at nearly 200 mph, and is expected to batter the popular tourist destination with heavy flooding, rain and damaging winds

The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported that an elderly man was killed when a roof fell on him. There are no other reports of fatalities.

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Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/20/us/tropical-cyclone-winston-fiji/

[Quackers]

5. Maybe it's time to refine the hurricane scale to include storms bigger than Cat5.

[malaise]

7. Yep

How's the pain today?

[Quackers]

10. Better.

It's traversed down into my lower back. I'm supposed to consult with an attorney on Monday but they still haven't caught the guy, so......

[panader0]

6. Very scary--I'll hold a good thought for the people of Fiji.

[Octafish]

8. News source from Fiji...

http://fijivillage.com/news/Centre-of-Severe-Tropical-Cyclone-Winston-currently-located-between-Waya-Island-and-Viwa-island-ks52r9/

The coverage shows a very brave people, resolute, compassionate.

[malaise]

9. This will be a disaster they will never forget

Last edited Sat Feb 20, 2016, 04:59 PM - Edit history (1)

Climate change is real

[suffragette]

12. Yes, climate change is real. This is so strong and storm surge could be a problem, too.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3249

Climate change and Fiji

Storm surge from Winston is of particular concern for Fiji, where sea level rise and coastal erosion have already begun to displace people. The nation includes more than 300 islands; some are volcanic in origin, while many of the smaller islands are low-lying coral atolls especially vulnerable to sea level rise. The nation has already assisted one small village, Vunidogolo, in moving to a new location as part of its climate change adaptation program. More than 30 other Fijian villages have been identified as vulnerable.


http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=342516


Flood warning in place for low-lying areas
By NASIK SWAMI
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Update: 4:44AM A FLOOD warning has been issued for certain parts of Fiji.

With high tide kicking in at 5am today, Rakiraki, Labasa, Navua, low-lying areas along Wainibuka River and Waimanu River have been put on high alert.

People have been urged to take immediate action as rise in water levels can cause more damage to the already damaged houses and infrastructure.

[Odin2005]

11. Direct hit on the main island.

[malaise]

13. Yes indeed

Not good

[malaise]

17. BBC says it moved away from the capital at the last minute

Coverage from Australia
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-21/tropical-cyclone-winson-leaves-trail-of-destruction-across-fiji/7187104
<snip>
Relief efforts in Fiji have been hampered after a category five cyclone downed powerlines across large parts of the Pacific island nation, aid agencies say.

Oxfam's Raijeli Nicole said aid organisations were not able to contact each other easily as mobile phone signals and landlines were affected.

"What we need is to be able to communicate with our partners on the ground," Ms Nicole said.

"That is quite difficult right now because we've got restricted movement and that is further compounded by the fact that there is no electricity."

Disaster management officials in Fiji are assessing the damage from one of the Southern Hemisphere's most powerful storms on record, with reports of widespread devastation and one death.

[ellenrr]

14. apparently it is now moving away--

"One man has been confirmed dead after the powerful storm struck on Saturday and overnight. Winston was originally a category 5 cyclone, but has been downgraded to a category 4 storm and is moving away from Fiji after pummelling the island nation with winds of over 300kmh."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/77105801/cyclone-winston-one-confirmed-dead-storm-moves-away-from-fiji

[Eugene]

15. Cyclone Winston: southern hemisphere's strongest storm devastates Fiji islands

Source: The Guardian and agencies

Cyclone Winston: southern hemisphere's strongest storm devastates Fiji islands

At least one person is dead on the island of Koro and entire villages are feared
destroyed as Fiji wakes to scenes of destruction left by the category five cyclone

Nadia Khomami and agencies
Saturday 20 February 2016 22.52 GMT

At least one person is dead and entire villages are feared destroyed after the worst tropical cyclone in Fiji’s history.

Fijians, tourists and aid workers have awakened to scenes of utter destruction after a category five cyclone battered the South Pacific nation with wind gusts as strong as 325km/h and waves up to 12m high.

“The scale of the destruction is absolutely massive and it’s still far too early to tell just how many people’s homes and livelihoods have been devastated by this storm,” Australian Red Cross aid worker Susan Slattery told AAP from Suva.

“That will become much clearer over the next 24 hours and our first priority is to make sure people are safe and have the short-term assistance they need.”

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/20/cyclone-winston-virgin-australia-and-jetstar-cancel-services-to-and-from-fiji

[malaise]

16. It's bad

Very bad