The latest JTWC update has Cyclone Dovi strengthening to 96 knots of sustained winds, putting it on the threshold of Category 3 Hurricane Strength.
While #CycloneDOVI is very unlikely to maintain anything close to this all the way to NZ, this is not good news for the Nth Island in rain/flooding terms.
[Image: 24 hour satellite animation of #Dovi featuring New Caledonian radar data showing an intense well formed eyewall.]
Outflow of moisture - an atmospheric river - generated by #CycloneDovi is already delivering intense rains in NZ in a band which is steadily moving northwards.
A strengthening #Dovi will increase the amount of moisture in this river.
Forecasting cyclone intensity is something of an art and the JTWC tends to be conservative in its projections. So the forecast of intensification to close to Cat 3 Hurricane intensity is a little alarming.
We can find out more looking at intensity modelling, which as you can see here is somewhat experimental >> cyclocane.com/dovi-spaghetti…
The other method of determining the strengthening or weakening path of cyclones is expert observation of the satellite presentation of the storm which is also what the JTWC peeps do. This account is worth following for a 2nd opinion.
From a model perspective there is now a very high level of simulation model agreement on the path and velocity of this cyclone which is expected to speed up significantly over the next 24 hours and cross NZ fairly quickly.
Latest model simulations are fairly consistent, the center of Cyclone #Dovi is expected to approach the West Coast on Sunday evening and the humid air associated with the cyclone should clear NZ altogether by Monday afternoon.
Finally, at present the GFS and ECMWF models are very much in alignment on where they think the rain is likely to accumulate, and how much is expected.
Taranaki currently looks like it is in the eye of the storm.
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If @realDonaldTrump chooses to join Netanyahu’s genocidal campaign if he is not obeyed …. he WILL find himself indicted in the international criminal court in The Hague.
And he will then have to make a decision on whether he is willing to remain in the U.S.
@realDonaldTrump Should he proceed as he has intimated that he should now be pursued by protestors everywhere he goes.
There is a lot of concern about evacuations of civilians from Gaza in the flotilla as anyone leaving may not be able to return any time soon. /2
But the moral hazard here is palpable. There are thousands of injured and starving mostly women and children. And we saw the young babies dying in the hospitals in the early stages of this war. /3
More and more naval vessels from Europe and the Middle East are being deployed to protect the Global Samir Flotilla as it moves slowly but surely towards Gaza where it intends to deliver aid and global attention. /1
Attacks from drones on the flotilla have resumed and Israel is presumably responsible for this. It is because of this that naval vessels from Europe are now joining the flotilla to protect their citizens rights of travel in international waters. /2
The escalation appears fairly slow at present and the flotilla is still within Greek waters at present /3
The #Samud #GazaFlotilla is currently sailing across the Ionian Sea towards the island archipelago south east of Athens in the Western Mediterranean. Conditions appear good for this leg that departed from Sicily after leaving Tunisia. The Flotilla set off from Barcelona.
2/ this current leg is 860 kms roughly and lead boats in the 51 vessel flotilla are currently approaching south western Greece. You can follow the flotillas progress here >> flotilla-orpin.vercel.app
3/ After two drone attacks on flotilla boats in Tunisia the flotilla sailed first to Sicily where it was joined by several more boats. And this map shows the path of the flotilla so far. The numbers in the dots indicate more vessels joining #GazaFlotilla