WELLINGTON, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Island nations in the southwest Pacific were warned on Wednesday that the coming tropical cyclone season might be worse than usual given the strong El Nino weather pattern in the Pacific.
New Zealand government weather agencies warned the coming season from November to April could see 11 to 13 tropical cyclones in the southwest Pacific, compared with an average of 10. 4 over the previous 30 seasons.
Meteorological Service of New Zealand (MetService) meteorologists said they were already watching the tropics closely for any signs of early development and had begun regular briefings to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which provides disaster relief in the Pacific.
On average, New Zealand experienced about one ex-tropical cyclone a season, and the risk was slightly higher than normal this season, said a MetService statement.
Tropical cyclone activity was elevated for a majority of Pacific island countries, especially those situated close to or east of the International Date Line, including Tokelau, Samoa, Tuvalu, and further east in the Cook Islands and more broadly across French Polynesia, said the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
At least six severe tropical cyclones of category 3 with mean wind speeds of at least 118 km per hour or so-called " hurricane force" winds or higher were expected to occur anywhere across the southwest Pacific during the season.
"All communities should remain vigilant and follow forecast information provided by their national meteorological service," said a NIWA statement.
The coming El Nino weather event was widely expected to be one of the strongest in the last 60 years, it said.
Category 5 strength tropical cyclones with winds greater than 196 km per hour were known to occur during seasons like the current one.
"Therefore, all communities should remain alert and well prepared for severe events," said NIWA.
