Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are being battered by howling winds and lashing rains as Super Typhoon Bavi makes landfall. The US National Weather Service (NWS) reported winds of nearly 290 km/h (180 mph) and gusts up to 350 km/h.
The NWS warned the "very dangerous" storm could cause "catastrophic" damage, with waves potentially reaching 11 meters (35 feet). An official told AFP of "major damages" reported on the Northern Mariana Islands.
The western Pacific is prone to tropical cyclones. While storms of this strength are unusual for the US islands, scientists say climate change is making powerful typhoons more common.
Rota, the southernmost inhabited island about 50 km northeast of Guam, is taking a direct hit. The mayor's office urged residents to prepare for "destructive winds," noting conditions are deteriorating rapidly.
On Saipan, north of Rota, wind gusts exceeded 161 km/h (100 mph) at the airport. Meteorologist Marcus Landon Aydlett told the Associated Press that many residents still lack power from Typhoon Sinlaku in April, which killed 17 people and caused $1.5 billion in damage.
Guam, with a population of about 170,000, has opened five evacuation centers in schools, with a capacity of around 1,700. One center already reached capacity, redirecting people to another site.
Bavi is classified as a super typhoon by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), with winds exceeding 240 km/h. The NWS equates super typhoons to category four or five hurricanes.
Residents are preparing. Pinky Cubacub, 55, boarded up her Guam eatery with $500 worth of plywood. "I cannot afford to lose so many days. It hurts," she said.
Japanese tourist Miku Sakurai, 25, told AFP her return flight to Tokyo was canceled. "We will stay in the hotel when the storm comes. I am scared," she said.
Bavi will be the 11th category four or five tropical cyclone to hit US territory in the past decade—one more than the total in the prior 57 years. A strong El Niño and warmer sea surface temperatures are driving more intense storms.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk