Share and Follow
A formidable super typhoon is advancing through the Pacific Ocean, setting its sights on a cluster of remote U.S. islands.
Named Super Typhoon Sinlaku, this powerful storm is predicted to strike the Northern Mariana Islands on Tuesday, unleashing destructive winds, heavy rainfall, and extensive flooding, according to the National Weather Service’s announcement on Monday.
Guam, a U.S. territory home to American military bases and approximately 170,000 residents, is also in the storm’s path. The island is under a tropical storm warning, with damaging winds expected to commence on Monday. Over the weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard issued alerts for potential flooding and high winds.
As the most potent tropical cyclone on Earth so far this year, Sinlaku was generating sustained winds of 173 mph (278 kph) on Monday as it approached the islands of Rota, Tinian, and Saipan, reported the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Although the storm is anticipated to lose some strength in the coming days, Sinlaku is likely to pass near the islands as a formidable Category 4 or 5 typhoon.
About 50,000 people live on the three islands, with most on Saipan, known for its laid-back resorts, snorkeling, and golf as well as the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands.
In Guam, where Typhoon Mawar knocked out power for days in 2023, U.S. military officials warned personnel to prepare for the storm and shelter in place. The island is an important hub for U.S. forces in the Pacific.
President Donald Trump on Saturday approved emergency disaster declarations for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, allowing for additional help with emergency services.
A super typhoon is a name given to the strongest tropical cyclones that brew in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, where Earth’s most intense storms usually form.
Monitored by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Guam, super typhoons are the equivalent of category 4 or 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic, with winds of at least 150 mph (240 kph). There have been more than 300 super typhoons identified since the warning center started using that name nearly 80 year ago.