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A menacing typhoon unleashed its fury on two U.S. territories in the western Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, bringing with it fierce winds and potentially life-threatening floods.
According to a recent update from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Guam, Typhoon Sinlaku, initially classified as a super typhoon, was downgraded early Wednesday local time as it lashed the Northern Mariana Islands.
The storm’s core began distancing itself from Tinian and Saipan, progressing northwest at a speed of 5 mph. Meteorologists anticipate that Sinlaku will skirt past the islands of Almagan, Pagan, and Agrihan later in the week.
The latest reports indicate that the typhoon’s maximum sustained winds have diminished to 145 mph. However, the storm’s impact remains significant, with typhoon-force winds stretching up to 75 miles from its center and tropical storm-force winds extending outward up to 265 miles.
The Weather Channel has highlighted Sinlaku as the most intense tropical cyclone of 2026 thus far, noting its dramatic escalation from a Category 1 storm to a peak strength of 185 mph maximum sustained winds.
The slow-moving storm lashed Guam and the Northern Marianas with fierce winds and torrential rain, with forecasts calling for up to 15 to 20 inches of precipitation for Tinian and Saipan and 6 to 12 inches for Rota, according to NWS.
Flash flood warnings were in effect across the remote U.S. islands, with an estimated storm surge of at least 5-8 feet above ground level expected in the Northern Marianas. NWS said wind-and-wave-driven surf could result in even higher storm surge along windward-facing beaches and reefs.
Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” Jose Blas Camacho told The Associated Press late Tuesday that Sinlaku was “hitting us hard.”
“It’s so difficult for us to respond with this heavy rain, heavy wind to rescue people. Objects are just flying left and right,” he said.
The NWS in Guam also issued an extreme wind warning for Saipan and Tinian until 5 a.m. ChST, or 3 p.m. EDT, amid typhoon-force winds.
“Treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to an interior room or shelter NOW!” the agency warned.
The Northern Mariana Islands are home to roughly 47,329 people, according to 2020 U.S. Census estimates. The population of Guam was approximately 153,836 in 2020.
A meteorologist with the weather service said during a Facebook video broadcast that Tuesday into Wednesday would “not be an easy night for anyone across Tinian or Saipan,” according to the AP.
Many “will wake up to a different island,” he reportedly said.
Officials on Guam said sustained winds of 40 to 60 mph, with higher gusts, were forecast to continue through Wednesday morning local time, before gradually subsiding through the afternoon.
“Such winds will continue to pose risk to public safety, infrastructure and power lines,” the Guam Joint Information Center said in a special bulletin, urging residents and visitors to stay inside.