During the decade, meteorology in the Pacific rapidly developed after Britain, France and their dependent territories including Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia and New Zealand, declared war on Germany during September 1939.
[1] In particular, the New Zealand's Meteorological Service also took control of the Apia Observatory and created a facility at Lacuala Bay in Suva, Fiji during 1940.
[1] During 1946, the Nadi military establishment was converted to a civilian unit, before the forecasting unit at Lacuala Bay was merged with the Nadi weather office during the following year.
At this time, the Nadi Weather Office (NWO) primarily provided meteorological services for aviation as a branch of the NZMS.
However, over the next few years, the NWO gradually expanded its services to the non-aviation sector, providing daily weather forecasts and tropical cyclone warnings for most Pacific island countries and some territories, and international marine services for a large part of the tropical South Pacific Ocean.