Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Guam with catastrophic winds and flooding

The storm system is expected to reach landfall on Monday morning.Residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are moving to emergency shelters and making last-minute preparations before the arrival of a “super typhoon” expected to batter the United States Pacific territories with torrential rain and hurricane-force winds.Super Typhoon Bavi was forecast to roar over the area on Monday morning, with winds of 260km/h (162mph), equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, and gusts of up to 315km/h (196mph).Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3At least 1,250 people dead: What caused the devastating Asia floods?list 2 of 3Super Typhoon Sinlaku bears down on Northern Mariana Islands, Guamlist 3 of 3How could El Nino reshape tropical storms around the world this year?end of listThe US National Weather Service (NWS) said the storm system was heading west towards the Marianas. “This general forecast track will take Bavi through the Marianas as a very dangerous category 5 super typhoon Monday morning,” it said.“Significant flooding from torrential rains and coastal inundation are expected,” the NWS said, with projected waves of up to 10.7 metres (35 feet), the height of a 10-storey building, creating “extremely dangerous” conditions at sea.Few cars were on Guam’s roads on Sunday as heavy rain and strong winds lashed the island.Pinky Cubacub, 55, said as she boarded up her eatery’s windows that she had lined up early on Saturday to buy $500 worth of plywood.“I cannot afford to lose so many days. It hurts,” she told AFP. “Whatever we’re making right now is just for rent, utilities, my staff and supplies. I don’t even pay myself yet.”This satellite image taken on July 5, 2026, shows Super Typhoon Bavi as it develops and nears Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands [Handout from the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere in partnership with Colorado State University and the Regional and Mesoscale Meteorology Branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AFP]Call centre employee Arabella Paulino, 48, said: “My girls were saying to me it’s scary. But it will be OK. My house is concrete, so the worst that can happen is a window could blow in.”