The Great Storm Is Coming is approaching the remote US territories in the western Pacific Ocean, threatening to bring strong winds, thunderstorms and widespread flooding as it hits the northern Marianas Islands on Tuesday, forecasters show.
Sinlaku’s inner eye came ashore in the Marianas islands of Tinian and Saipan at about 10:15 pm local time, which was about 8:15 am ET, according to the latest report from the National Weather Service office in Guam. At the time, the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane.
“As the eye moves over the islands, a reversal of winds and rain will occur before strong post-storm winds pass over Tinian and Saipan,” the weather service said. “Everyone should stay protected in the area even if the wind is temporarily calm in the eyes.”
A video shared by the Associated Press showed the first effects of the super typhoon on Saipan, as Sinlaku moved along the coast, unleashing strong winds and rain towards the island. Earlier in the night, the storm had been “almost stationary” about 30 miles off the coast of the archipelago for several hours.
Home to three US military bases and about 170,000 people, Guam is not expected to see a direct hit from a major hurricane. However, wind gusts of up to 80 mph have already been recorded on the island and hurricane-force winds were forecast to continue through Wednesday afternoon, according to the Guam Joint Information Center.
“Despite the near-term delay, damaging winds will continue throughout the island, endangering public safety, infrastructure, and power lines,” the agency said in its latest advisory, urging people to stay indoors and stay out of the water.
NOAA via AP
The Guam Department of Education closed schools on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the information center said it will remain closed until the governor declares that conditions are safe for classes to resume. The agency also said Guam’s water authority was “aware of multiple power outages throughout the island as a result of the major storm.”
Forecasters expect Sinlaku to pass over or near Tinian and Saipan as a devastating Category 4 storm late Tuesday night local time. Typhoon warnings were in effect for the Marianas islands of Rota, Tinian, Saipan, Alamagan, Pagan and Agrihan prior to the typhoon’s arrival, according to the weather service. Guam remained under a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch, the weather service said.
In the Pacific Southwest, “hurricane” is used to describe a tropical storm that forecasters would call a hurricane in the US. When a hurricane’s strongest winds reach over 150 mph, it becomes a “major hurricane.”
Sinlaku’s maximum wind speed reached 180 mph as the typhoon moved over the open sea on Sunday, making it the strongest typhoon to occur so far this year, after typhoons Narelle and Dudzai.
