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Super typhoon threatens US islands in the Pacific
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Disasters & Emergencies

Super typhoon threatens US islands in the Pacific

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • A super typhoon named Bavi is heading towards Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. territories in the Pacific.
  • Residents are preparing for the storm by stocking up on supplies and reinforcing their homes.
  • The storm is expected to weaken before making landfall, but significant tropical storm conditions are anticipated.

Residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are bracing for the arrival of Bavi, a massive super typhoon churning across the Pacific Ocean toward the U.S. territories. Preparations are underway as people stock up on essentials and secure their homes against the impending storm.

As of Friday evening GMT, Typhoon Bavi was moving westward between the Marshall Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported sustained winds of 259 kilometers per hour, with gusts reaching 314 kilometers per hour. The storm intensified into a super typhoon, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, by Saturday morning.

Forecasters predict Bavi will weaken slightly before reaching Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on Monday morning. However, the U.S. National Weather Service warned that residents should expect at least tropical storm-force conditions. These islands are still recovering from Super Typhoon Sinlaku in April, which caused widespread power outages, uprooted trees, overturned vehicles, and damaged roofs.

The projected tracks continue to indicate a worrying scenario for the Marianas. All inhabitants of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands must prepare and expect, at a minimum, tropical storm conditions.

— U.S. National Weather ServiceWarning residents about the expected impact of Typhoon Bavi.

"The projected tracks continue to indicate a worrying scenario for the Marianas," the National Weather Service stated. Residents like Reymark Castro are taking precautions, sealing windows with tape and filling water tanks. Castro noted, "Two super typhoons in two months, that's historic. It's something never seen before in the Marianas."

The increased intensity of storms like Bavi is linked to rising ocean temperatures. June recorded the hottest ocean temperatures globally, with projections for further records in the coming months, according to the European Union's Copernicus Marine Service. The El Niño phenomenon also contributes by warming Pacific waters and altering global wind and pressure patterns.

Two super typhoons in two months, that's historic. It's something never seen before in the Marianas.

— Reymark CastroA resident describing the unprecedented storm activity in the region.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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