Tropical Cyclone Maila intensifies towards Category 4 as Pacific communities brace

Tropical Cyclone Maila has strengthened to a category 3 and has sustained winds near the centre of 120 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 165 kilometres per hour.

At 10pm AEST (Saturday), the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said Maila was 590 kilometres west of Honiara and 820 kilometres east of Port Moresby.

Tropical Cyclone Maila continues to strengthen in the Solomon Sea between Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is bracing for impact, with warnings issued and disruption already underway as the cyclone intensifies.

Authorities are urging coastal and island communities to move to higher ground and avoid the sea as conditions worsen.

In its latest advisory, the Papua New Guinea National Weather Service said the Tropical Cyclone Maila category 3 warning is current for Milne Bay Province, especially the coastal and island communities of:

• Woodlark

• Sudest

• Misima

• Rossel Islands

• Including Bougainville

Heavy rain has flooded the runway and taxiway at Tokua Airport, in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Photo/The National Airports Corporation PNG

It said Tropical Cyclone Maila is likely to intensify into a Category 4 system within the next 24 hours.

It said people should stay away from the sea's edge and seek higher ground until the cyclone threat passes.

The National Airports Corporation has advised the travelling public and all stakeholders that due to heavy rainfall since Saturday, the runway and taxiway at Tokua Airport, in East New Britain, have flooded, caused by surface water runoff from outside the airport.

Flights into Tokua Airport in East New Britain have been suspended until further notice.

Some boats were also carried inland by strong wind and high swells along Mondo coastal area in Solomon Islands Photo/Soloman Star

Solomon Islands

Damage to buildings along the coastline of Mondo village, located at the weathercoast of Ranonggah Island, Western Province, has been reported.

A resident, Hendry Korio, told the Solomon Star that strong winds struck the Mondo coastal area from Saturday morning through Sunday, causing significant damage to semi-permanent houses and boat sheds located along the shoreline.

He said some boats were also carried inland by strong winds and high swells.

Communities of Simbo and Ranonggah are expected to feel the full brunt of the bad weather in the coming days.

Mr Korio said that many food gardens are not spared, with banana plantations and root crops destroyed by the strong winds, raising concerns over a lack of food for the villagers in the coming days.

Forecast track for Tropical Cyclone Vaianu Photo/Fiji Meteorological Service

Fiji

A tropical depression that lingered over the waters of Fiji has intensified into a tropical cyclone.

The Fiji Meteorological Service said Tropical Cyclone Vaianu, a category one system, was located to the north of Fiji and is moving south at 9km/h.

It said the current winds near the centre are about 74km/h and expected to strengthen further.

The weather service said winds may increase to 92km/h later today, and up to 111km/h by tomorrow.

The cyclone is expected to continue moving south to southeast over the next 24 hours while intensifying.

While the system remains north of Fiji, it is being closely monitored as it strengthens and further updates will be issued as necessary.

This story was first published on RNZ and has been edited for clarity.