![\"Tropical](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4JQGH89_Windy_1_jpg.jpeg\")
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\nTropical cyclone Maila, left, was a category 4 storm on Thursday morning, and cyclone Vaianu a category 2.
\nPhoto: Windy.com screenshot\n<\/p>\n
Severe Topical Cyclone Maila was downgraded to a Category 4 system on Wednesday night but alerts for Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands remain.<\/p>\n
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said as of 4am Thursday AEST, the system had sustained winds near the centre of 185 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 260 km\/h.<\/p>\n
The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service has a tropical cyclone warning is place for Western Province.<\/p>\n
At 7:30pm last night, local time, Maila was 104km southwest of Ranonnga island, Western Province.<\/p>\n
At that time Maila was slowly moving north at 5km\/h, southwest of Western Province in the Solomon Sea and intensifying.<\/p>\n
The Solomon Star reported a shop in Gizo had part of its roof ripped off in the storm.<\/p>\n
The head of police in the western Solomon Islands said the impacts from Maila were the worst the province has seen since a major earthquake and tsunami in 2007.<\/p>\n
Wilkin Miriki, who also chairs the provincial emergency operations committee, said they were receiving reports of damages to schools, clinics and residential properties across the province.<\/p>\n
In Papua New Guinea, warnings remain current for Milne Bay Province, especially the coastal and island communities of:<\/p>\n
Woodlark
\nSudet
\nRossel Islands
\nBougainville<\/p>\n
The governor of Papua New Guinea’s Milne Bay province said they were unprepared for a severe cyclone.<\/p>\n
Maila formed near the province earlier in the week, causing widespread damage, before moving towards Solomon Islands.<\/p>\n
It is expected to loop back towards PNG in the coming days.<\/p>\n
Gordon Wesley said there’s been unprecedented damage, especially in the province’s smaller islands.<\/p>\n
He said they do not often get cyclones in Milne Bay.<\/p>\n
“The waves are huge, and gardens are basically under water. All the bananas that people would want to survive from are also… fallen.”<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a special gale force warning has been issued for Manus, New Ireland, and West and East Sepik.<\/p>\n
Papua New Guinea’s National Weather Service said a tropical low is developing north of the equator with strong to very strong westerly winds dominant over the northern part of PNG.<\/p>\n
Vaianu downgraded<\/p>\n