Na Draki Pacific

05/01/2026

GPS satellites locate your position by being very VERY precise with measuring time - specifically time relative to the earth.

29/12/2025

Happy New Year to all the Nadraki Followers,

There is some rain coming this week, and there's the possibility of some fireworks courtesy of Mother Nature! Subscribe for daily updates and full access to our web site by visiting www.nadraki.com
It's just $A3.50 per month (about $5.00).

Oh, lastly, we do have a new tropical disturbance to keep an eye on - it's to the east of American Samoa. Chances of a tropical cyclone forming are not great - less than 50-50 for sure - and even if it does it won't come anywhere close to Fiji, or indeed any other significantly populated islands.

May your 2026 be peaceful, prosperous, and fun despite the global chaos of wars, economic upheavals and the looming elections at home here in Fiji.

Providing the South Pacific with Premium weather services. Available in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, New Caledonia, and Solomon Islands.

23/12/2025

A very wet Christmas for California coming up as a major winter frontal system is forecast to arrive over the Bay Area and Central Valley before moving over the north of the state later.

20/12/2025

A weak(ish) La Nina event has become established over the tropical Pacific in the past month and will likely continue until the end of the first quarter of 2026.

La Niña is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon characterised by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. 🌎

It is part of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle and significantly influences global weather patterns. By altering atmospheric circulation, La Niña can lead to increased rainfall in some regions and drought in others, affecting agriculture, water resources, and marine ecosystems around the world.

🛰️ This data visualisation, based on data from the Copernicus Marine Service, shows sea surface temperature anomalies on 8 December 2025. A distinct band of cooler water, identified by blue tones, stretches along the equatorial Pacific, clearly indicating the presence of La Niña.

Information from the Copernicus Marine Service is crucial for monitoring ocean temperature anomalies in near-real-time, supporting climate forecasting, marine resource management, and preparedness for extreme weather events associated with large-scale climate phenomena.

🔗 https://www.copernicus.eu/en/media/image-day

20/12/2025

The Pale Blue Dot...

17/12/2025

Not Meteorology, but pigeons can, apparently, analyse data and predict outcomes.

Not artificial intelligence, but alternative intelligence.

16/12/2025

Floodwaters entering Rakiraki town yesterday have receded overnight.

Flood warnings current for the Ba and Tavua Rivers, the Yaqara river, and the Nakauvadra river adjacent to and downstream of Ra town were cancelled at 6.30 this morning.

16/12/2025

Good morning. Every day is a sunny day on the moon. Astronauts on the International space station view the (nearly) full moon.

16/12/2025

Media reports are making claims that there is now an active tropical cyclone in the south Pacifoc Ocean region between Vanuatu and Fiji.

This is incorrect. Only the WMO Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre - Tropical Cyclone Centre (RSMC-TCC) for this region has the authority to name tropical cyclones and issue tropical cyclone warnings.

At 11.45am Fiji Met Service (home of the RSMC- TCC) issued the following bulletin:

=======/////=======

Tropical Disturbance Summary For area Equator to 25S, 160E to 120W
ISSUED FROM RSMC NADI Dec 152345 UTC.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION TD03F CENTER [1001HPA] WAS ANALYSED NEAR 15.3S
171.7E AT 152100UTC. TD03F MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 08 KNOTS.
POSITION FAIR BASED ON HIMAWARI-9 VIS/IR IMAGERY AND PERIPHERAL
SURFACE OBSERVATIONS.

THE SYSTEM LIES UNDER STRONG UPPER DIVERGENCE, MODERATE TO HIGH SHEAR
WITH DEEP CONVECTION DISPLACED TO THE EAST OF SUPPOSED LLCC AND DRY
AIR ENTRAINMENT FROM THE WEST. SST AROUND 29 DEGREES CELSIUS. THE
SYSTEM CONTINUES TO BE STEERED EASTWARDS BY THE NEAR
EQUATORIAL RIDGE.

GLOBAL MODELS HAVE PICKED UP THE SYSTEM WITH MINIMAL INTENSIFICATION.

THE POTENTIAL FOR THIS SYSTEM TO DEVELOP INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE IS
VERY LOW IN THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------

NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL DISTURBANCE ANALYSED OR FORECAST IN THE
AREA.

So there is no tropical cyclone, and none likely for the next 24 to 48 hours.

For real time weather information for Fiji visit www.nadraki.com and subscribe.

Nadraki Weather

Providing the South Pacific with Premium weather services. Available in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, New Caledonia, and Solomon Islands.

16/12/2025

Weather Update for Tuesday 16th of December 2025

For today and tomorrow.

A Heavy Rain Warning and a Flash Flood Warning is in force for all of Fiji.

Weather Situation: Rain continues to be active across much of the country - yesterday about the west and south of the country and this morning over the north and east of Fiji. Winds have been, and still are, mainly light to moderate, but also fresh and squally at times in the brief bursts of heavy rain.

One might have thought that the current and most recent heavy rains were associated with our nemesis TD03F, however this weather system is moving only very slowly east, and is still closer to Vanuatu than it is to Fiji this morning. Cloud covering Fiji this morning and over the past 24 hours is there solely due to the convergent northerly winds around the eastern periphery of the circulation that surrounds TD03F, and the greatest concern for Fiji is the forecast for this widespread cloud to remain active over Fiji for the next 3 or 4 days with persistent and occasionally heavy rain continuing to bring localised flash flooding to the low lying parts of the country, and also widespread river flooding as rainfall accumulations over the interior of the larger islands cause some of the major rivers to overtop their banks. Many places have already experienced significant localised flooding, and river levels are rising.

The computer model guidance continues to be poor, however the latest forecasts are now more or less in agreement that TD03F will move slowly to the east-southeast towards the Yasawas and northern Viti Levu today as a tropical depression before weakening into a disorganised cluster of rain clouds with an embedded thunderstorm or two over waters west of the Yasawa Islands later on Friday. There is still scope for further changes in the behaviour of this particular weather system, however the likelihood of a tropical cyclone forming, and then passing close to or over Fiji in the next 72 hours near zero, and the likelihood of any damaging or destructive winds affecting Fiji is about the same. For now, the established cloudy and unsettled weather will persist across all parts of Fiji as light to moderate north northwest winds prevail over coastal waters, with low to moderate seas on exposed coastal waters with a low southerly swell around 1 metre or less.

Today: Some early sunshine about the west then generally cloudy and overcast once more as the atmosphere continues to be humid and unsettled across Fiji once more today. Periods of rain throughout Fiji today with a few evening and overnight thunderstorms likely again later. Locally heavy falls with flash flooding can be expected. Light to moderate northwest winds.

Tomorrow: Cloudy skies with periods of rain and scattered thunderstorms, more prevalent during the afternoon and evening. Locally heavy falls from time to time with associated flash flooding likely. Light to moderate northwesterly winds could be squally at times in thunderstorms.

Outlook: TD03F is forecast to approach Fiji later on Thursday morning as a tropical low. The strengthening high pressure to the south will force the low to follow a path that will both move it closer to western and northern parts of the country, and at the same time restrict its potential for further development. It is very likely that squally northerly winds and periods of heavy rain will affect the western, northern and central divisions through to the weekend even though TD03F will not become a significant tropical cyclone. So cloud and rain over Fiji is expected for the entirety of the week ahead, however the risk of damaging winds will remain zero posing no threat to land areas of Fiji at all. Flooding will remain the only significant hazard, affecting communities close to the mouths of the major rivers of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Roads and river crossings will continue to be significantly affected by flood waters with many unsealed roads already impassible due to mud and erosion. Remain vigilant and check in to the updates over coming days.

Nadraki Weather (c) 2025

19/09/2025

The story of the massive Hunga Tonga / Hunga Haapai eruption of 15 January 2022.

19/09/2025

The role of ocean currents on global climate are profound, but difficult for us to see and appreciate, as they occur completely out of sight and across massive horizontal distances and vertical depths.

Subtle variations in temperature and salinity (amount of salt in the water) affect the way the ocean waters move. Oceans are massive reservoirs of heat, storing large amounts of the warmth generated by global climate change.

This in turn directly affects sea life. Ocean currents determine where fish aggregate, how molluscs grow protective shells' and and if coral reefs and sea grasses can survive and thrive.

The Pacific Ocean where we live is the largest, and it's very existence is the basis of life in Oceania, both marine and terrestrial.