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Tropical Cyclone Vaianu forming in the Pacific could bring life-threatening winds and heavy rain to New Zealand<\/a> later this week, forecasters have said, with strong wind watches issued for the entire North Island.<\/p>\n The category 3 cyclone is moving south of Fiji towards New Zealand, with winds around the centre in excess of 150km\/h, MetService said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n While uncertainty remains over the cyclone\u2019s track, MetService said it was increasingly likely it would reach New Zealand on Sunday, bringing with it \u201cdamaging, potentially life-threatening winds\u201d, heavy rains and hazardous coastal conditions.<\/p>\n While the heaviest rain is expected across the north and east of the North Island, the storm could affect large parts of New Zealand, MetService said.<\/p>\n Meteorologist John Law said: \u201cWe have several days until we see the impacts of Vaianu on New Zealand so this is an early severe weather watch, a heads-up for significant weather this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n Severe weather watches are normally issued one to three days before a weather event and the longer lead time of these watches is an indication of the potential severity of the event, Law said.<\/p>\n As the forecast becomes clearer, the watch could be upgraded to a severe weather warning.<\/p>\n A second severe tropical cyclone named Maila was upgraded to a category 5 system on Wednesday, with winds near the centre of 215km\/h and wind gusts up to 295km\/h.<\/p>\n The cyclone was located in the Solomon Sea and is moving towards the far north Queensland coast. It would not affect New Zealand, MetService said.<\/p>\n New Zealand has faced several severe storms this year. In January, a series of tropical storms swept through the North Island, bringing torrential rain and causing two fatal landslides<\/a>. In February, storms caused flooding, landslides and power outages across the country.<\/p>\n In 2023, tropical Cyclone Gabrielle<\/a> was the worst storm to hit New Zealand this century, killing 11 people, causing a global record<\/a> of about 850,000 landslides and becoming the most expensive weather-related event in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n