A tropical depression today will likely turn into a tropical cyclone by Sunday, says WeatherWatch.co.nz.

The storm looks likely to intensify next week into a “severe” tropical storm, meaning it will likely reach Category 3 strength – and even has the potential to reach the top end, Category 5.

Sea surface temperatures in the area the storm is in now are over 30 degrees C with air temperatures around 28C. The sea surface temperatures in northern NZ are warmer than average in the low 20s – meaning the cyclone will weaken as it moves south towards NZ – but may retain a fair amount of energy thanks to the warmer seas.

Full details about risks and tracking can be found in our next video update (which will be out before noon today).

You can view all our daily videos – and get alerts the second we publish them – via our YouTube Channel here: www.youtube.com/c/WeatherWatchNZ1

A Tropical Depression called '93P' continues to gain power in the Solomon Sea and will likely rapidly grow into a #TropicalCyclone in the Coral Sea this weekend.https://t.co/gb7E1qcpZ3 says the risk of this storm directly impacting NZ's weather in 7 days time remains at 60%. pic.twitter.com/LzPKuZWTrD

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) December 9, 2021