Devastating footage shared online shows the damage Tropical Cyclone Tino is causing in the Pacific.
Footage shared on social media on Saturday shows the effect the tropical cyclone had on Tuvalu, north of Fiji.
The atoll nation was hit by the storm on Thursday night and through Friday, with strong winds and heavy rain battering the country.
The Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project shared video of large waves caused by the cyclone hitting the capital Funafuti.
"The over-topping waves fill the road with seawater. It was high risk for people from Lofeagai to access to shop, hospital and other places the mainland [sic]," the organisation wrote on Twitter.
Photos of a barge wrecked on Funafuti Island were also shared online.
Tino was designated a category 3 storm earlier on Saturday, with WeatherWatch saying it was "stronger than initially forecast".
"A direct hit (or very near hit) to Tonga is expected later today," WeatherWatch said.
The storm was moving quickly from the north-west towards Tonga, and "dangerous seas and storm surge can all be expected across Saturday," WeatherWatch warned.
All people in the island nation were urged to be prepared immediately for damage.
On Friday, Tino ripped through Fiji, bringing gusts of up to 130km/h and heavy rain. Before the storm's arrival, Fiji Red Cross Society posted photos showing workers tying down houses and undertaking other precautions in anticipation of the damage to come.
According to Fiji's MetService, at 3pm (local time) on Saturday Tino was located about 360km east of Ono-i-Lau, or 420km east-southeast of Lakeba. By 9pm, it is forecast to have moved to around 490km east-southeast of Ono-i-Lau, or 610km southeast of Lakeba, moving towards Tonga.
While the storm will not be a "direct threat" to New Zealand, WeatherWatch warned it would bring large waves to some places around the country and "churn up some NZ beaches".
