Cook was said to be the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane when it hit Grand Terre, the largest island of New Caledonia.

The tropical cyclone made landfall in New Caledonia, a French territory in the south Pacific Ocean, earlier today.

Bringing you updated Cyclone Cook path information, live tracking maps, weather models and videos as the storm hits New Caledonia.

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La Tontouta International Airport was batted by gales with up to 63mph gusts, while more than six inches of rain poured down on Poindimie.

The latest update, from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, said Cyclone Cook had tracked south west at 11 knots towards Grand Terre.</s>SYDNEY/WELLINGTON: A powerful cyclone that hit New Caledonia late on Monday and shuttered nickel operations has moved offshore, allowing authorities to lift warnings on the French South Pacific territory.

Four people received minor injuries in the storm and a search is being conducted for two missing people, New Caledonia's Civil Defence and Risk Management agency said in a statement.

Resident Gael Toukio said electricity and telephone services had been cut.

"Every gust of wind made my house tremble," Toukio told Reuters by text message from the capital city of Noumea.

The main island was hit by winds of up to 180 km per hour (111.8 mph) and more than 400mm (15.75 inches) of rain on Monday, the meteorological service said in a statement, in conditions that saw roads blocked by uprooted coconut trees and a halt of the country's large nickel mining industry.

The bureau lifted a general warning on Tuesday, while the Civil Defence agency said around 70,000 people were without electricity.

Vale suspended nickel operations and evacuated staff on Monday. It is restarting on Tuesday, a spokesman said.

The New Caledonia weather bureau said the weather system - which peaked at a category-three event - has since weakened and is expected to track towards New Zealand over the next few days.</s>SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, April 11 (Reuters) - A powerful cyclone that hit New Caledonia late on Monday and shuttered nickel operations has moved offshore, allowing authorities to lift warnings on the French South Pacific territory.

Four people received minor injuries in the storm and a search is being conducted for two missing people, New Caledonia's Civil Defence and Risk Management agency said in a statement.

Resident Gael Toukio said electricity and telephone services had been cut.

"Every gust of wind made my house tremble," Toukio told Reuters by text message from the capital city of Noumea.

The main island was hit by winds of up to 180 km per hour (111.8 mph) and more than 400mm (15.75 inches) of rain on Monday, the meteorological service said in a statement, in conditions that saw roads blocked by uprooted coconut trees and a halt of the country's large nickel mining industry.

The bureau lifted a general warning on Tuesday, while the Civil Defence agency said around 70,000 people were without electricity.

Vale suspended nickel operations and evacuated staff on Monday. It is restarting on Tuesday, a spokesman said.

The New Caledonia weather bureau said the weather system - which peaked at a category-three event - has since weakened and is expected to track towards New Zealand over the next few days.</s>A powerful cyclone that hit New Caledonia late on Monday has moved offshore, allowing authorities to lift warnings on the French South Pacific territory.

Four people received minor injuries in the storm and a search is being conducted for missing people, New Caledonia's Civil Defence and Risk Management agency said in a statement. According to Radio NZ, a 73-year-old has been found dead.

Resident Gael Toukio said electricity and telephone services had been cut as Cyclone Cook came ashore.

1NEWS Cyclone Cook is now expected to pass near New Zealand, bringing further rain and wind on Friday.

"Every gust of wind made my house tremble," Toukio said by text message from the capital city of Noumea.

The main island was hit by winds of up to 180kmh and more than 400mm of rain on Monday, the meteorological service said in a statement.

At least 4 injured as Tropical Cyclone Cook makes landfall on the main island of New Caledonia. https://t.co/pvLxG1lc8b pic.twitter.com/fLqY5moKIL — The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) April 10, 2017

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Roads were blocked by uprooted coconut trees and conditions brought a halt to the country's large nickel mining industry.

The bureau lifted a general warning on Tuesday, while the Civil Defence agency said around 70,000 people were without electricity.

Vale suspended nickel operations and evacuated staff on Monday. It is restarting on Tuesday, a spokesman said.

The New Caledonia weather bureau said the weather system - which peaked at a category-three event - has since weakened.

TVNZ reported that a New Zealander was stranded in New Caledonia after an Air New Zealand flight was cancelled.

An Air Calin flight from Noumea due to arrive in Auckland at 12.35pm on Tuesday and the return flight, due to depart at 2.30pm, werecancelled.

Cook hit the main island at almost the same time as high tide, with floods, and waves as tall as 10 metres forecast by weather authorities.

"The threat to New Caledonia is very serious," the meteorological service said in a cyclone alert.

#cycloneCook Alerte 2 sur l'ensemble de la Nouvelle Calédonie. Interdiction absolue de circuler à pied ou en voiture. pic.twitter.com/RSSV8VHGK0 — NC 1ère (@nc1ere) April 10, 2017

The storm hit land late on Monday afternoon as a Category Three storm, said Virgil Cavarero, a forecaster at Meteo New Caledonia, below the destructive Category 4 predicted earlier, which would have been a level off the most dangerous wind speed.

Eyes now turn to New Zealand as the tracking system could bring heavy rain, high surf and gusty winds later in the week, along with renewed flooding concerns following the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie last week.

The North Island's flood-stricken regions were bracing for heavy rain thanks to a low from the Tasman Sea, and the tropical cyclone could make matters worse.

MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said Tropical Cyclone Cook could affect New Zealand later in the week adding to the low that will move across the country from Tuesday.

Cook developed into a tropical cyclone while crossing the islands of southern Vanuatu on Saturday.

#CycloneCook has made landfall to over the New Caledonia in the South Pacific with 100mph as a cat 2 hurricane pic.twitter.com/BJaEZKzMoj — Joint Cyclone Center (@JointCyclone) April 10, 2017

- Audio thanks to Radio New Zealand</s>New Caledonia was bracing for high winds, massive waves, and heavy rain as a powerful cyclone bore down on the French South Pacific territory on Monday. The storm was forecast to strengthen to a destructive Category four, one rung below the most dangerous wind speed level, before it makes landfall in New Caledonia on Monday afternoon local time, Fiji's Meteorological Service predicted.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Reuters.</s>The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a visible image of Cook on April 10 at 0254 UTC (April 9 at 10:54 p.m. EST). That was about one hour before the storm's center made landfall in central New Caledonia. The image showed a cloud-filled eye surrounded by powerful thunderstorms. A large band of thunderstorms feeding into the center blanketed the islands of Vanuatu.

On April 11 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EST) Tropical Cyclone Cook has maximum sustained winds near 70 knots (80.5 mph/129.6 kph) making it a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane wind scale. It was located just 47 nautical miles south-southwest of Noumea, New Caledonia near 23.3 degrees south latitude and 166.0 degrees east longitude. It was moving to the south at 12 knots (13.8 mph/22.2 kph).

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center or JTWC noted that animated enhanced infrared satellite imagery showed that there was a decrease in central convection and warming cloud tops over the system since it made landfall over New Caledonia around 0400 UTC (12 a.m. EST).Microwave imagery still showed that bands of thunderstorms were still wrapping into a defined center of circulation.

At 11 a.m. EST (1500 UTC) on April 10, Meteo France in New Caledonia noted that Cyclonic Alert number 2 remained in effect on April 10 for the municipalities of Thio, Bourail, La Foa, Sarraméa, Moindou and Farino, the province of the islands, the Northern Province (with the exception of the communes of Bélep and Maré which remain on cyclonic level 1 alert) . Alert # 1 was also still in effect on the rest of New Caledonia.

JTWC noted that "environmental conditions are no longer supportive of development with vertical wind shear increasing to 20 knots (23 mph/27 kph) and sea surface temperatures decreasing to 27 degrees Celsius (80.6 degrees Fahrenheit)," so it is forecast to weaken over the next two days.

Explore further: Aqua satellite spots development of Tropical Storm 14P in South Pacific Ocean</s>WELLINGTON/SYDNEY: Cyclonic winds and heavy rain buffeted New Caledonia yesterday, prompting residents of the French South Pacific territory to seek shelter and halt mining of nickel, its most important export.

Cyclone Cook hit the main island at almost the same time as high tide, packing winds of up to 200 kph (124 mph), bringing down coconut trees to block roads and forcing residents to seek shelter indoors.

“Right now we are in the eye of the storm, it is calm, but before the wind was strong and the rain was heavy,” David Sigal told Reuters as he sheltered in the town hall of Poindimie, about 50 km (31 miles) north of where the storm hit land.

Floods, and waves as tall as 10 metres (33 feet), were also forecast by weather authorities.

“The threat to New Caledonia is very serious,” the meteorological service said in a cyclone alert.

The storm hit land late on Monday afternoon as a Category Three storm, said Virgil Cavarero, a forecaster at Meteo New Caledonia, below the destructive Category 4 predicted earlier, which would have been a level off the most dangerous wind speed.

Authorities widened their cyclone alert on Monday, however, warning residents nearly everywhere in the archipelago to seek shelter before evening.

Nickel group Societe Le Nickel, a subsidiary of French conglomerate Eramet, has suspended mining at its five locations in New Caledonia, though smelting operations continue at a reduced level in the capital, Noumea, the firm said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

New Caledonia is one of the world’s largest sources of nickel, and mining and metals processing plays a major role in its economy.

Its two other main nickel producers, Glencore Plc and Vale, were not immediately available for comment, however.

Cyclone Cook, tracking southward, is predicted to pass within 50 km (31 miles) of Noumea during the night. — AFP</s>New Caledonia was bracing for high winds, massive waves, and heavy rain as a powerful cyclone bore down on the French South Pacific territory on Monday. The storm was forecast to strengthen to a destructive Category four, one rung below the most dangerous wind speed level, before it makes landfall in New Caledonia on Monday afternoon local time, Fiji's Meteorological Service predicted.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Reuters.</s>Tropical Cyclone Cook: New Caledonia braces itself as severe system hits east coast

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People in northern parts of New Caledonia have been told to stay indoors as severe Tropical Cyclone Cook buffets the French territory.

Key points: Cook has intensified to category 3 cyclone

Expected to pass 50 kilometres southwest of capital Noumea

Wind gusts of 200 kilometres per hour predicted

The category-three cyclone hit the main island Grand Terre at almost the same time as high tide, packing winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour.

The gales brought down coconut trees, blocking roads and forcing residents to seek shelter indoors.

Floods and waves as tall as 10 metres were also forecast by weather authorities.

"The threat to New Caledonia is very serious," the meteorological service said in a cyclone alert that will be extended to cover the southern province this evening.

The Directorate of Civil Security and Risk Management has issued a level-two cyclone alert for the northern province requiring people to remain inside their homes or emergency shelters.

In the capital Noumea, Pacific Community deputy director-general Cameron Diver said most people went home from work before midday to prepare for Cook's arrival.

"I think people are taking it with a lot of calm, nobody's panicking. It's one of those cases where you prepare for the worst and hope for the best," he said.

Nickel group Societe Le Nickel, a subsidiary of French conglomerate Eramet, had suspended mining at its five locations in New Caledonia, though smelting operations continued at a reduced level in Noumea.

New Caledonia has not experienced a direct hit since Cyclone Erica in 2003.

But Mr Diver said recent disasters elsewhere in the region meant people were taking the warnings seriously.

"People are very much aware of what's gone on in other Pacific islands, Vanuatu with Cyclone Pam and Fiji with Cyclone Winston, so they're taking the precautions that are necessary," he said.

Cyclone Cook hit Vanuatu yesterday but authorities reported no major damage.

Meteo France expects Severe Tropical Cyclone Cook to cross the centre of Grand Terre overnight and pass 50 kilometres to the south-west of Noumea.

Topics: cyclones, cyclone, new-caledonia, pacific</s>French media reports at least four injured and 20,000 residences without power in the wake of Cyclone Cook making landfall in New Caledonia. Cyclonic winds and heavy rain buffeted the French island territory in the South Pacific on Monday, prompting residents to seek shelter and halt mining of nickel, its most important export.

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Category 3 Cyclone Cook hits Grand Terre, the main island of New Caledonia.