Tropical Cyclone Jasmine

Powerful Tropical Cyclone Jasmine was spinning menacingly near New Caledonia as it tracks out of the Coral Sea Tuesday.

The worst of the storm's dangerous wind and torrential rain was set to skirt major land masses, although rough weather was headed for a few small islands in the area.

Tuesday, the eye of the Category 3 cyclone was over open water between mainland New Caledonia and the neighboring island nation, Vanuatu. Early Tuesday, EST, it was about 200 miles west-southwest of Efate and roughly the same distance north-northeast of Noumea, New Caledonia.

Highest sustained winds early Tuesday were reckoned to be near 115 mph, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). Storm movement was towards the east-southeast at about 18 mph.

The JTWC have forecast Category 3 status in Jasmine through Wednesday as the tropical cyclone heads mostly towards the east-southeast. Thereafter, weakening over cooler open waters between Fiji and New Zealand was indicated.

While the main islands of both South Pacific nations will not feel the potentially devastating effects of Jasmine, a few small islands of both New Caledonia and Vanuatu will suffer high winds and torrential rain through early Wednesday, EST, as the powerful cyclone passes.

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