Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Guam and Northern Marianas as region still recovers from April storm
Residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are preparing for Super Typhoon Bavi, expected to strike Monday with winds up to 280 km/h, just months after a devastating storm left many still in tents.
Current status
As of Friday morning GMT, Typhoon Bavi was located between the Marshall Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands, moving westward. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported maximum sustained winds of 90 knots (167 km/h), while the US National Weather Service later measured 80 mph (129 km/h). The storm is on a trajectory toward Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, both US territories in the western Pacific.
Forecast track and intensity
Bavi is expected to rapidly intensify. By Saturday morning, it is forecast to reach super typhoon status with sustained winds of 130 knots (240 km/h), equivalent to a high-end Category 4 hurricane. Further strengthening is predicted through Sunday, with winds potentially reaching 150 knots (near 280 km/h), the threshold of a Category 5 storm. The system is then expected to weaken slightly before making landfall on Monday morning, but it will still pack destructive force.
- Winds 167 km/h (90 knots), located between Marshall Islands and Northern Marianas
- Reaches super typhoon status, sustained winds 240 km/h (130 knots)
- Intensifies to near 280 km/h (150 knots), Category 5 equivalent
- Expected landfall on Guam and Northern Marianas, slightly weakened
A cyclone becomes a super typhoon when it has maximum sustained winds of 150 mph or stronger. Super typhoons are equivalent to a high-end Category 4 or Category 5 storm.
Recovery from Sinlaku
The approaching storm comes just months after Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck the region in April, bringing ferocious winds and relentless rains. Power has not been fully restored in the Northern Marianas, and some residents are still living in tents after their homes were destroyed. The back-to-back threats have compounded the hardship.
We're getting ready to do this all over again. The timing is terrible.
Preparations and local sentiment
Residents are boarding up windows with plywood and stocking up on gasoline, recalling the weeks-long fuel shortages that followed Sinlaku. Some on Guam have expressed a hope that their island takes the brunt of Bavi, sparing the more vulnerable Saipan, which is still recovering. Meteorologist Paul Stanko noted that this sentiment reflects a communal island spirit.
That's what we're actually hoping for because then Saipan wouldn't get it as bad.
Rev. Francis Hezel, assistant pastor of Santa Barbara Catholic Church in Dededo, Guam, said he remains hopeful the storm could change course, but preparations are underway. He noted that typhoon readiness is becoming routine.
Right now the pattern is heading towards us, but those patterns change. This is getting to be the normal thing now, typhoon preparedness. It's happening more frequently.
Strategic importance
Guam, located west of the International Date Line and known as "Where America's Day Begins," hosts two large US military bases. The island's strategic role adds a layer of concern for infrastructure and readiness as the storm approaches. El Niño conditions are increasing hurricane season activity in the Pacific this year.
