Issued 6am Monday 17 January 2022 by the Samoa Meteorological Services.
The Tsunami Advisory previously in effect for Samoa is now CANCELLED. However, it should be mentioned that the ongoing volcanic eruptions in Tonga may continue to cause powerful waves and further strong surges in the coming hours/days. Locations that have previously been calm can suddenly experience unpredictable surges.
In addition, the combination of the effects of the present unstable weather and already-heightened sea levels with related surges from the Tonga eruption has the potential to create hazards that have not previously been experienced. Therefore, the general public is advised to remain cautious and continue to take extreme care in and around the water as there may be sea-level changes and strong unusual currents may persist.
The Meteorology Division will continue to monitor the situation in Tonga and will provide regular updates if conditions warrant.
———————–
Volcanic Ash | Iasued 2:50am, 17 January 2022
The volcanic eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano continues, and its activities slightly diminished in the past 6 hours.
However, the ash plume has become widespread over Tonga and eastern Fiji but could potentially reach the south of Samoa in the upper levels of the atmosphere.
Based on the latest report from VAAC Wellington there is a chance that some ash may linger within our area from this time onwards. Hence risk for Samoa is elevated from LOW to MODERATE.
At this stage, the direct impacts for Samoa from the ash remain ambiguous but the ash would primarily exist at higher altitudes. The European model (via Windy) indicates that the extent and availability of sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentration within our area will fade over the next day.
We will closely monitor the situation and advise accordingly.
