Latest: www.force-13.com/stormtracking/spacific.html Update 2 - December 30, 2012 Cyclone Freda has intensified fairly rapidly, and is now a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The storm is expected to maintain this strength for a while before beginning to weaken, perhaps maintaining hurricane-force gusts on its closest approach, or indeed landfall on New Caledonia.