Monday Evening Edit: Tropical Cyclone MAL has been named this evening. This is several hours after our video was made. The naming this evening does not mean there are any changes to the current forecast in this video.

🚨🌀Category1️⃣Tropical Cyclone #MAL.

Latest tracking shows #Nadi westwards most at risk. However it's important to realise the wind from this storm is still developing & may yet fan out further over #VitiLevu, especially if tracking changes. Heavy Rain looks likely either way. pic.twitter.com/le1TsWrE57

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) November 13, 2023

🚨⚠️#BreakingNews: The second tropical cyclone of the South Pacific season is born. Tropical Cyclone #MAL.

It's strengthening and tracking towards #Fiji later Tuesday and early Wednesday. #TCMal. https://t.co/uwBvU3oy2Q

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) November 13, 2023

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Another busy weather week for NZ, Australia and the South Pacific with a new tropical cyclone developing today. It was named on Monday evening by the Fiji Met Service and is the second storm of the season, which only kicked off 13 days ago on November 1st

Fiji has a risk of a direct hit – or a close call – either way those in Fiji should be well aware of the situation with landfall (or peak severe weather) expected on Tuesday PM at this stage. The storm then tracks towards NZ but falls apart much more than the remnants of ex-cyclone Lola did last month. For now, it poses no threat to NZ.

But NZ’s weather is more spring-like this week with westerlies returning – then a cooler southerly by the end of the week. The south eastern corner of Australia is also in this pattern, whilst thunderstorms and hotter weather continue in WA.

*Programming Note: Our 7 Day Pacific Islands update will be out on TUESDAY and will cover this cyclone in more detail – and other lows across the Pacific Ocean. There are two other tropical storms just north of Fiji, but in the Northern Hemisphere (so they pose no threat to the Southern Hemisphere, but still interesting they have clustered together around the equator).