A tropical cyclone alert is now in force for the Cook Islands.
The Cook Islands Meteorological Service (CIMS) said tropical depression TD01F is moving south towards the Southern Cook Islands.
It said the system is expected to strengthen and may develop into a category 1 tropical cyclone within 24 hours.
At 8am local time, TD01F was about 352km north of the low-lying coral atoll Suwarrow.
The system has sustained winds of about 46km/h near its centre. It is moving south and is expected to turn south-southeastwards.
On its current track, the system is expected to pass close to Suwarrow within 24-36 hours before moving towards the Southern Cook Islands.
Winds from the east to southeast at 37-46km/h, with gusts up to 65km/h, are predicted for Suwarrow.
Damaging gale-force winds may develop from later tonight, with sustained winds about 65km/h and gusts up to 93km/h.
Frequent and heavy rain with squally thunderstorms becoming frequent and heavy are expected, with very rough to high seas and damaging heavy swells.
In the Cook Islands? What you should do now
- Secure loose items around your home and property.
- Check your emergency supplies and household plans.
- Fishermen, boat operators and inter-island vessels should closely monitor marine forecasts and warnings and avoid going to sea if conditions are unsafe.
- Keep checking official CIMS updates and follow advice from the relevant authorities.
Earth Sciences New Zealand has predicted elevated cyclone activity for parts of the Pacific in the coming cyclone season.
The official tropical cyclone season starts on November 1.