Cyclone Winston

The Fiji Met Service says Category four Winston has turned back towards Tonga after passing through the northern islands earlier this week.

On its current path the storm is moving away from Niue and back between Vava'u and Nuiatoputapu, with Fiji expecting to feel its brunt again in the weekend.

The storm's average wind speed is up to 165 kilometres an hour and gusting to 230.

Met director Ravind Kumar says Winston will be closest to Vava'u tonight and could possibly be a category five storm by then.

The cyclone was downgraded to a category two on Monday afternoon as it moved towards Fiji's southern Lau group, but Misaeli Funaki, a forecaster at the Fiji Meteorological Service, said the storm still had damaging winds as high as 155 kilometres an hour.

In the first week of January Cyclone Ula crossed the Lau group causing minor damage.

The Director of Meteorology said Cyclone Winston, lying to the south, was expected to turn towards Fiji waters after initially tracking southeast away from Vanuatu.

Ravind Kumar said within a couple of days the outer islands in Lau should feel the brunt of Cyclone Winston, which was packing winds gusting up to 220 kilometres an hour.

Forecaster Charlie Vulum issued the warning this morning for all coastal waters of southern PNG/Indonesian border through to Torres Strait and Daru to Kiwai Island.

Warning is issued also to people along the coast of Milne Bay to Finschhafen through Vitiaz Strait and Siassi Island to Long Island to Madang and Bogia.

This includes all coastal waters of New Guinea Islands Region except for Manus and northern New Island.

The cyclone is moving at 12 kilometres an hour and intensifying.

Expect sustained winds of 166 kilometres an hour close to the centre, increasing to 185 kilometres an hour later today.

Cyclone Winston is moving in a south south-easterly direction and does not pose any threats to islands in the region at this point.

Winds close to its centre are expected to increase to over 110 kilometres an hour later today.

It is forecast to intensify as it moves further south south-east between Vanuatu and Fiji at nine kilometres per hour.

The system has brought heavy rain to Fiji's main island of Viti Levu, with a flood warning in place for the Rakiraki area.