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A powerful super typhoon is approaching several remote U.S. territories in the Pacific, with Guam already experiencing heavy rains and strong wind gusts ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Super Typhoon Sinlaku is forecasted to impact the Northern Mariana Islands late Tuesday local time, bringing widespread rainfall, flooding, and destructive winds capable of causing extended power outages, according to the National Weather Service.
Though Guam, home to around 170,000 residents and multiple U.S. military bases, is not expected to face a direct strike, it could still endure damaging winds as the storm passes nearby.
Currently the strongest tropical cyclone on Earth this year, Sinlaku was sustaining winds of 173 mph (278 kph) Monday as it neared the islands of Rota, Tinian, and Saipan, per the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. While it is expected to weaken somewhat over the coming days, the storm should still make landfall as a Category 4 or 5 typhoon.
Meteorologist Joshua Schank from the Guam weather service noted that the storm’s path is primarily set to cross over or just skirt Tinian and Saipan, which together house about 50,000 residents. Saipan, the largest island in the Northern Marianas and known for its resorts and recreational opportunities, also bears historical significance as the site of one of the Pacific’s bloodiest World War II battles.
On Guam, still recovering from power outages caused by Typhoon Mawar last year, military officials have urged personnel to prepare and remain sheltered. The island serves as a vital strategic hub for U.S. forces in the Pacific, with the military controlling roughly one-third of its land area.
By early Tuesday, Guam was already experiencing heavy rainfall and wind gusts reaching 60 mph (96 kph). Most businesses were closed, and residents were advised to stay indoors.
In response to the impending storm, former President Donald Trump approved emergency disaster declarations for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands last weekend, enabling increased federal support for emergency services.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has mobilized nearly 100 staff members, alongside personnel from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to coordinate relief efforts.
“We are ready to respond to this event,” said FEMA regional administrator Robert Fenton from Guam. Preparations, including staff and supply deployment, began late last week.
Despite an ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, FEMA’s emergency operations continue uninterrupted, with disaster relief funds totaling approximately $3.6 billion available as of March.
Super typhoons, the most intense tropical cyclones in the northwestern Pacific, are equivalent to Category 4 or 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic, featuring sustained winds of at least 150 mph (240 kph). Since the Joint Typhoon Warning Center began using the term nearly 80 years ago, over 300 super typhoons have been recorded.
Associated Press reporter Gabriela Aoun Angueira contributed to this report.