Cyclone Gita's eye has grown even larger, NIWA warns - and it is heading towards New Zealand.
- MetService says Cyclone Gita system likely to hit New Zealand
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The devastating storm is moving away from Fiji and feeding off the warm water.
"Tropical #CycloneGita's eye has grown substantially since yesterday and now is over 100 km wide -- that's larger than average," NIWA says on Twitter.
While the eye might be larger, due to its energy being spread over a larger area, it will likely be weaker.
However it is still expected to bring heavy rain and howling winds to our country.
"Rain impacts in NZ related to Gita may arrive as early as Monday but peak on Tuesday-Wednesday," NIWA says.
MetService is maintaining a Gita blog so New Zealanders can track the cyclone's progress.
There are several possibilities for where Gita could hit, with modelling showing the area of impact to be anywhere from the top of the North Island to the middle of the South Island.
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