TC Ruby not a direct threat to Fiji as of now

The Nadi Weather Office says as of now, Tropical Cyclone Ruby will not bring any threat to Fiji after it was named by the Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre yesterday afternoon.

The Weather Office will continue to monitor this weather event and update warnings and forecasts accordingly.

The 6am track map of TC Ruby shows the system will cross to the west of Vanuatu by this afternoon.

On the forecast track, TC Ruby is expected to bring periods of heavy rain and gale to storm force winds to majority of New Caledonia including the Loyalty Islands from tomorrow morning.

Overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday, TC Ruby is expected to affect the southern areas of Vanuatu (Tafea province) possibly bringing period of heavy rain, strong to gale force winds, heavy northwest swell and high seas.

On Wednesday, TC Ruby is expected to move away from New Caledonia and Vanuatu and pass to the northeast of North Island during Thursday possibly as a Category 2 system.

The Weather Office says most outlooks suggest the system will track to the north of the North Island during Thursday, although there still remains some uncertainty regarding how close to New Zealand the system will come.