Businesses across Rarotonga are continuing to feel the impact of severe weather as strong winds, rough seas and periods of heavy rain persisted yesterday.

Trader Jacks, a popular restaurant and bar located next to Avarua harbour, has been significantly impacted, experiencing a decline in customer turnout due to the adverse weather conditions over the last two days.

Speaking about the ongoing challenges caused by the weather, Melanie Cooper of Trader Jacks, said: “Recent extreme weather has reduced customer turnout due to rough seas and heavy rain over the last two days.”

The business, which has long experienced the impact of cyclones including the Cyclone Sally in 1987 which badly damaged the property, has implemented a range of resilience measures to cope with such weather.

One of these measures includes a hydraulic bar roof that automatically closes during bad weather to ensure safety.

“The bar roof had to be dropped down twice today (Wednesday) due to the high winds,” Melanie explained.

Despite the challenges, the team at Trader Jacks has not sought government assistance, instead focusing on managing operations and prioritising safety.

The extreme weather warnings remain in force, particularly for the Southern Cook Islands, where conditions are expected to worsen further.

In a weather bulletin issued yesterday, the Cook Islands Meteorological Service said that a strong wind warning is still in place for land areas and waters in the Southern Cook Islands. In addition, a coastal inundation warning and a damaging heavy swell warning remain active.

These conditions continued throughout the day yesterday, with strong north-westerly winds of 20 to 25 knots, gusting up to 35 knots, and rough seas.

The bulletin also warned of sea flooding in low-lying coastal areas, particularly during high tides, and occasional heavy rain with thunderstorms.

For Rarotonga, the forecast remains unsettled with heavy rain and thunderstorms expected at times.

Conditions are similarly challenging for the Northern Cook Islands, where cloudy periods and showers are expected, particularly in Pukapuka and Suwarrow, while other areas will see brief showers.

Despite the ongoing rough conditions, Maara Vaiimene, director of the Cook Islands Meteorological Service, has reassured the public that the likelihood of the current weather disturbance developing into a tropical cyclone remains low.

Vaiimene earlier explained that the disturbance was moving quickly, at approximately 20 kilometres per hour, and heading towards cooler waters, factors that reduce the chances of it intensifying into a cyclone.

“At the moment, the potential of it becoming a tropical cyclone is very low,” Vaiimene said. He added that while the weather system remained active, it was unlikely to strengthen into a cyclone.