Samoa was shaken by a 4.9 magnitude earthquake which was recorded in the early hours of Saturday morning about 180 kilometers southwest of Apia.

Samoa Meteorological Services (MET) issued an earthquake bulletin on their website following the tremor on Saturday morning to reassure the public that there is no tsunami warning.

The tremor at 3.23 am Saturday morning had a depth of 10 km with a distance of 180.7 km southwest of the capital Apia. 

The Samoa MET office also cancelled its heavy rain advisory for Samoa having seen the convergence move further south of the country.

In the last few weeks Samoa has been experiencing random heavy rain showers causing minor pooling around low lying areas in town as well as strong winds.

Earlier this year the MET office released a report on the Tropical Cyclone outlook for 2022–2023, describing the first few months of the year as the most common period for tropical cyclones.

However, now with the new update from the MET office the forecast is for clear skies with no chance of cyclones hitting the country.

About 3,268 km south west from Samoa, New Zealand is experiencing some major winds and rain from the Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle which is hovering above the North Island.

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) Weather reports that Cyclone Gabrielle's forecast rain and air pressure is moving southward and affecting most of the North Island.

“The cyclone's outer rainbands will begin affecting Northland, Auckland, and the Coromandel Peninsula on Saturday night and Sunday before spreading southward on Monday. 

"The rain will be of a moderate intensity at first, unlikely to cause widespread issues, with the most intense rain bands remaining offshore until Monday and Tuesday.”

The Samoa MET office shared a video on their Facebook page depicting cyclone Gabrielle’s activity and strongly advises the public that Samoa is well away from Cyclone Gabrielle and there is no reason to panic.

For now, Samoa will be experiencing some much needed sunshine with no chance of heavy rain. The MET office will continue to update the public on any further weather developments.