New Caledonia to face direct hit from Tropical Cyclone Cook

By Adam Douty, AccuWeather meteorologist

April 9,2017, 1:26:22PM,EDT

 

 

Tropical Cyclone Cook will continue to strengthen before making a direct hit on New Caledonia on Monday and Monday night.
Cook developed into a tropical cyclone on Saturday, local time, while moving across the islands of southern Vanuatu. The developing cyclone brought wind gusts to 98 km/h (61 mph) on Saturday night to Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, as bands of heavy rain and storms crossed the island.
With ocean and atmospheric conditions conducive for tropical cyclone development, Cook is expected to continue strengthening as the storm nears landfall in New Caledonia.

Cook is expected to have an equivalent intensity to that of a strong Category 1 or 2 hurricane in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans when it makes landfall on Monday or Monday night.
As the center of Cook nears landfall in New Caledonia, wind and rain will increase through the day on Monday, reaching a peak late in the day or on Monday night as the center of the cyclone crosses the island.
Heavy rainfall will develop which will lead to the threat for flash flooding. From Monday into Tuesday, 125-250 mm (5-10 inches) of rain will fall in central and southeastern parts of the island. Mudslides are possible in the mountainous terrain.
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Wind gusts will regularly surpass 100 km/h (62 mph) during the height of the storm on Monday evening and early Monday night across central and southern portions of the country.
Winds near the center will gusts 140-180 km/h (86-111 mph). The strongest wind gusts are expected along the southeast coast where structural damage and widespread power outages are expected.
The capital of New Caledonia, Noumea, is expected to receive in excess of 100 mm (4 inches) of rain and wind gusts of 100-130 km/h (62-81 mph). Areas that are most likely to escape damaging impacts from Cook are in the northern tip of the island.
Conditions will rapidly improve on Tuesday as Cook pulls away to the south of the country. Moisture from Cook may bring additional heavy rain to New Zealand late in the week.