A tropical depression is today deepening near the Solomon Islands and by Sunday may be a Tropical Cyclone as it moves away from the Solomon Sea and out over the Coral Sea, free from land.

Sea surface temperatures in the area are already over 30 degrees C which will allow the storm to deepen.

However it’s likely to spend a number of days out over the Coral Sea where it may reach Category 3 or 4 status, according to WeatherWatch.co.nz. As for future tracking, at this stage neither New Zealand or Australia have a direc threat, but the location of the storm next week (over the Coral Sea) means it’s in a location to keep an eye on.

– Latest outlook from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (US Government) shows a tropical depession has formed but the yellow circle indicates it will not likely become a Tropical Cyclone within the next 24 hours.

– Current Sea Surface Temperatures – the yellow circle shows where this storm is expected to lie for the next week / MetOcean.

#Animation: A potential Tropical Cyclone north west of New Zealand is looking increasingly likely. It may remain stuck in the Coral Sea area for a number of days – no current threat to NZ. pic.twitter.com/QItQAbDx7l

— Philip Duncan (@PhilipDuncan) November 28, 2018