Cyclone Watch Service activated as South Pacific cyclone season begins

The South Pacific cyclone season officially begins 1 November and continues through to the end of April 2027.

There are occasions when tropical cyclones can develop outside of the cyclone season, more recently Tropical Cyclone Wati which impacted parts of the Cook Islands group.

Earth Sciences New Zealand is predicting elevated cyclone activity for parts of the Pacific in the coming cyclone season.

RNZ Pacific's Cyclone Watch Service has become an important communications lifeline for Pacific nations and territories over the years, who are affected by the ever-increasing number of tropical cyclones in the Region.

The Cyclone Watch Service operates during the cyclone season in the South Pacific which is November through to the end of April. Once cyclone alerts are issued, RNZ Pacific will broadcast hourly updates of these bulletins, and whenever the situation changes.

Our information comes from Meteorological Services in the region. We also attempt to get damage reports from local government authorities and non-governmental agencies who are active in the field, as well people on the ground, who have been affected by the Cyclone.

RNZ Pacific broadcasts official vital weather updates and information via our shortwave transmitter. When local power grids and transmission facilities have been rendered inoperable by a cyclone, our broadcasts may be the only updates that people in the Island nations and territories can receive.

Here are the updated on-air frequencies for the RNZ Pacific Cyclone Watch Service for the 2026-2027 cyclone season.

• UTC - 2100-0500 Frequency - 17675 kHz
• UTC - 0500-0700 Frequency - 13690 kHz
• UTC - 0700-1100 Frequency - 9700 kHz
• UTC - 1100-1400 Frequency - 7245 kHz
• UTC - 1400-1700 Frequency - 7440 kHz
• UTC - 1700-1800 Frequency - 6135 kHz
• UTC - 1800-1900 Frequency - 9700 kHz
• UTC - 1900-2000 Frequency - 11725 kHz
• UTC - 2000-2100 Frequency - 15720 kHz

We will do our best to keep people informed of all-weather updates, both on-air and online.

You can also follow us on our RNZ Pacific Facebook page for updates.