South Pacific Heats Up with a Pair of Cyclones

By , Senior Meteorologist
Mar 12, 2010; 8:20 AM ET
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Two tropical cyclones with potential to bring flooding rain and punishing winds are gathering over the tropical South Pacific Ocean as of Friday, EST.

First of the two, already designated Tropical Cyclone (T.C.) 19P, has been building within a broad mass of heavy tropical rain centered a few hundred miles northwest of the Samoa Islands.

Through Saturday, T.C. 19P will track toward the west and south as it further organizes and strengthens.

Eventually, it will pose the threat of excessive rain and damaging winds to Fiji late in the weekend and early next week. T.C. 19P could make a direct landfall over Fiji as a powerful typhoon Monday.

Well to the west, a second blowup of heavy tropical thunderstorms has continued to consolidate near the island nation of Vanuatu and has been designated Tropical Cyclone (T.C.) 20P.

Movement of 20P will tend to drift it toward the west over the northeastern Coral Sea, thus having minimal impact on land over the next several days. T.C. 20P could become a major typhoon in the next few days.

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