A fallen tree blocked the road to Wigmore’s Waterfall on Sunday. TEITIMOANA TAIRI/26101805
Tropical Cyclone Wati was downgraded to a Category 1 storm Sunday night as it gradually weakened, before being reclassified as an ex-tropical system on Monday morning.
In a Monday morning update, the Cook Islands Meteorological Service reported that a strong wind warning remains in force for the Southern Cook Islands, while the warning previously issued for the Northern Cook Islands has been cancelled.
The Meteorological Service stated that Ex-Tropical Cyclone Wati lies to the southeast of the Southern Cooks and is continuing to move southeastward, away from the island group.
The forecast through midnight tonight for the Southern Cook Islands, including Rarotonga, calls for fresh to strong southerly winds of 20 to 25 knots, which are expected to gradually ease. Seas will remain rough before gradually abating, accompanied by moderate southerly swells, cloudy periods and brief showers.
For the Northern Cook Islands, occasional showers with isolated thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are forecast for Manihiki and Penrhyn, alongside moderate northerly winds and moderate seas. Elsewhere in the northern group, expect cloudy periods with scattered showers, moderate to fresh south to southeasterly winds and moderate to rough seas.
TC Wati, which formed outside the official South Pacific tropical cyclone season (which runs from November 1 to April 30), originally developed from Tropical Disturbance TD01F, detected earlier last week.