(Image courtesy of NOAA via AP)
Super Typhoon Bavi has made landfall on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, bringing strong gusty winds and heavy rainfall. Many residents have been evacuated and are sheltering at evacuation centers.
The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) reported on Sunday, 5 Jul 2026 GMT+7, that the western eyewall of Super Typhoon Bavi—with sustained winds near 290 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 350 kilometers per hour—is moving through Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The NWS warned that this "extremely dangerous" storm could cause "catastrophic" damage, with waves nearly 11 meters high amid fierce winds and heavy rainfall. Residents in the area have been evacuating to emergency shelters and preparing in the final moments before the super typhoon's arrival.
The NWS added that Rota Island, the southernmost inhabited island of the Northern Mariana Islands located about 50 kilometers northeast of Guam, is being directly hit by the storm. Winds are expected to remain at typhoon strength until the afternoon of Monday, 6 Jul, and will not fall below tropical storm strength until after midnight.
The mayor’s office issued a warning urging residents to prepare for damaging winds, adding, "Conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly, making it unsafe to be outdoors."
Guam, normally a sunny tourist destination with a population of about 170,000, has opened five evacuation centers at various schools. These centers can accommodate up to approximately 1,700 people, primarily serving vulnerable groups.
At 1:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, Guam’s civil defense office announced that one evacuation center had reached full capacity and was redirecting people to other shelters.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), a U.S. military agency monitoring tropical cyclones in the Western Pacific, has classified Bavi as a "super typhoon."
A super typhoon is defined as a storm with sustained winds exceeding 240 kilometers per hour. The NWS assesses that super typhoons have destructive power comparable to Category 4 or 5 hurricanes.
Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have already faced one super typhoon this year, Sinlaku, in April, which caused 17 fatalities and approximately $1.5 billion in damages.
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Source:BBC