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Norfolk Island residents are bracing for damage from Cyclone Gabrielle, which is expected to bring the most destructive weather to hit the remote outpost in three decades.

The cyclone was reclassified as a category two storm - down from a category three - as it neared the Australian territory.

The centre of the cyclone is predicted to pass over or near the island on Saturday evening, bringing destructive winds and very heavy surf.

The Bureau of Meteorology said Cyclone Gabrielle was moving quickly at 3pm, Norfolk Island time, on Saturday and was about 195km west-northwest of the island, home to around 2000 residents.

"Gale-force winds and high waves are currently developing and conditions may worsen overnight as the centre of the cyclone moves past," it said.

"Periods of gales are expected over Norfolk Island during this afternoon through into Sunday afternoon.

"There are some indications that the island may avoid the strongest winds of the system, however, a period of destructive winds is still possible during the evening or early Sunday, with gusts up to 140km/h."

A hazardous surf warning was in place for the Frazer Island Coast, Sunshine Coast Waters and Gold Coast waters until midnight on Sunday.

The bureau was urging people to consider staying out of the water and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas, and for boaters to consider delaying their voyage if they planned to cross shallow water and ocean bars.

Norfolk Island administrator Eric Hutchinson said the territory had already experienced a "wild night" with some power outages, but the cyclone wasn't expected to make its full impact until later on Saturday afternoon.

Tourists were urged to leave ahead of the storm, but Mr Hutchinson said anywhere between 800 and 950 visitors likely remained on the island.

"We are well prepared and we have just got to see this through, and then we will look at what resources are going to be needed in a recovery phase from tomorrow," he told ABC TV.

As the eye of the cyclone passes over the island, destructive winds might ease for a short period before regenerating, blowing from the opposite direction.

Teams of military and emergency personnel are on standby to respond as needed.

An emergency evacuation centre was made available on Saturday morning.

While heavy rain was less likely on Saturday afternoon, periods of heavy rain could develop overnight into Sunday morning before easing later in the day, the bureau said.

Mr Hutchinson said a cyclone of similar strength last passed over Norfolk Island in the mid-1990s, and residents were bracing for damage.

"We are expecting power outages, trees coming down, the potential for houses to lose roofs," he said.

Mr Hutchinson said he was most concerned about damage to visitor accommodation and the island's hospital, but there were contingency plans in place to deal with those events.

New Zealand's Met Service expects the cyclone to weaken to a tropical low before it moves towards the North Island on Sunday, although it is predicted to deliver severe wet and windy weather to regions including flood-hit Auckland.

© AAP 2023

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Cyclone Gabrielle is bearing down on residents of Norfolk Island, who are bracing for destructive winds despite the storm's severity being downgraded overnight.

The cyclone was reclassified as a category-two storm - down from a category three - as it nears the remote Australian outpost.

The centre of the cyclone is predicted to pass over or near the island on Saturday evening, bringing wind gusts of up to 155 km/h and very heavy surf.

The Bureau of Meteorology said Cyclone Gabrielle was moving quickly on Saturday morning and was located about 325km northwest of Norfolk Island, home to around 2000 residents.

"Gale-force winds and high waves are currently developing and conditions are expected to worsen throughout the day as the centre of the cyclone approaches this evening," it said.

As the eye of the cyclone passes over the island, destructive winds may ease for a short period before regenerating, blowing from the opposite direction.

Teams of military and emergency personnel are on standby to respond as needed.

Tourists and visitors have been urged to flee, with the last flight leaving the island on Friday afternoon.

Norfolk Island emergency controller George Plant told AAP the community had been hard at work preparing for the storm impact.

"In times like this, the community just gets together and does what's required," he said.

An emergency evacuation centre will be available on Saturday morning. Seas are expected between five and seven metres, with peak waves possibly higher.

New Zealand's Met Service expects the cyclone to weaken to a tropical low before it moves towards the North Island on Sunday, although it is predicted to deliver severe wet and windy weather to regions including flood-hit Auckland.

© AAP 2023

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A United States F-22 fighter jet has shot down an unidentified object flying over Alaska less than a week after the military brought down a Chinese balloon that had flown across the US.

A sidewinder missile brought down the object, which was about the size of a small car, the Pentagon's chief spokesman US Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said on Friday.

President Joe Biden ordered the action, which was announced from the White House - rare presidential-level involvement given initial accounts suggesting the object did not pose a military threat and was fairly rudimentary.

On February 4, another US F-22 fighter jet shot down what the US government called a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina following its week-long journey across the US and parts of Canada.

Republicans and even some of Biden's fellow Democrats criticised the president for waiting before he acted against that first balloon.

The incident set off a diplomatic crisis between the world's two largest economies and caused US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a planned trip to Beijing.

The Pentagon and the White House declined to give a detailed description of the latest object to be shot down, saying only that it was far smaller than the Chinese balloon.

The Pentagon said it was flying at about 12,190 metres, posing a risk to civilian air traffic.

"We don't know who owns this object," White House spokesman John Kirby said.

The object was shot down over Alaska's far northeast near the Canadian border where it had been travelling in a north-easterly direction.

The Pentagon said it was first detected on Thursday using ground radars.

Fighter jets were then sent to investigate further.

Ryder said US pilots who flew alongside it determined no human was onboard.

He said it was incapable of manoeuvring and did not resemble an airplane.

Ryder and other officials would not say whether it could simply be a weather balloon or another type of balloon.

"It wasn't an aircraft per se," Ryder told a news briefing.

Asked why Biden's authorisation was necessary, Ryder acknowledged the US military commander overseeing North American airspace had the authority to shoot down objects that posed a military risk or risk to the people.

"In this particular case, it was determined that this posed a reasonable threat to air traffic," Ryder said.

Since the 60m-high Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon was shot down, US officials have been scouring the ocean to recover debris and the undercarriage of electronic gadgetry.

Ryder told reporters "a significant" amount of the balloon had already been recovered or located, suggesting US officials could soon have more information about any sophisticated Chinese espionage capabilities aboard the vessel.

"That will be very beneficial to us learning more about it," Ryder said.

© RAW 2023

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Norfolk Island residents are readying themselves as Cyclone Gabrielle bears down on the remote Australian outpost, bringing powerful waves and devastating winds.

The centre of the category-three cyclone is predicted to pass over the island on Saturday evening as wind gusts in excess of 200km/h batter the small community.

The Bureau of Meteorology said gale-force winds and high waves were expected to develop overnight and worsen during the day as the cyclone closed in on the island, home to around 2000 residents.

As the eye of the cyclone passes over the island, destructive winds may ease for a short period before regenerating, blowing from the opposite direction.

Teams of military and emergency personnel are on standby to respond as needed.

Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said Norfolk Island had only experienced one other cyclone of category-three intensity and Cyclone Gabrielle could bring the strongest winds to the island on record.

Cyclone Gabrielle was about 1000 kilometres northwest of Norfolk Island on Friday evening.

Tourists and visitors have been urged to flee, with the last flight leaving the island on Friday afternoon.

Norfolk Island emergency controller George Plant told AAP the community had been hard at work preparing for the storm impact.

"In times like this, the community just gets together and does what's required," he said.

An emergency evacuation centre will be available on Saturday morning. Seas are expected between five and seven metres, with peak waves possibly higher.

New Zealand's Met Service expects the cyclone to weaken to a tropical low before it moves towards the North Island on Sunday, although it is predicted to deliver severe wet and windy weather to regions including flood-hit Auckland.

© AAP 2023