Vanuatu's Meteorological Service says there is a chance Tropical Cyclone Oma may yet strengthen into a Category 3 system as it continues to loop around in circles northwest of Santo.
Forecaster Ellen Luke said a high pressure system in the Tasman Sea appears to be currently blocking Oma from moving south and the longer it remains over warmer waters the chance of increasing intensity goes up.
Oma has already completed one full loop overnight and the latest forecast sees it changing direction again now heading east southeast at 8 kilometres per hour for the past three hours.
She said high winds and heavy rain still persist in northern Vanuatu islands especially the Torres group and there is a lot of uncertainty over the cyclone's duration, path and intensity.
"The chances of it to develop into a Category 3 it might have a likely chance of it developing since if it stays further up north for some time because of the warm surface sea temperature that it will be on."
Cyclone Oma currently remains a Category 2 system with current high wind gusts of 130 kilometres per hour forecast over at least the next three days.
At 11am NZT on Thursday Oma's location was 190km west southwest of Torres and 185km west northwest of Santo.
The Red Cross has been going door-to-door in Sanma province have been informing people about how to prepare for Cyclone Oma, where safe buildings are and other vital info on how to prepare for a cyclone.