Super Typhoon Bavi, a 'Very Dangerous' Category 5 Storm, Bears Down on Guam and Northern Marianas
Super Typhoon Bavi — packing sustained winds of 260 kilometers per hour (160 mph) with gusts up to 315 kph — roared west toward Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on Sunday, prompting thousands of residents and tourists to seek shelter in emergency evacuation centers, hotels, and concrete homes. The National Weather Service described the storm as “very dangerous” and warned that tropical-storm-force winds would arrive as early as Sunday afternoon, followed by a potentially catastrophic direct hit near the storm's center.
“Significant flooding from torrential rains, and coastal inundation are expected,” the NWS said in a bulletin, adding that wave heights could reach 35 feet (10.7 meters) — the equivalent of a 10-story building — making sea conditions “extremely dangerous” for anyone caught on the water.
Residents across the low-lying islands, home to roughly 210,000 people, spent the weekend fortifying homes and businesses. Pinky Cubacub, 55, boarded up the windows of her eatery in Guam after queuing early Saturday morning to buy $500 worth of plywood. “I cannot afford to lose so many days. It hurts,” she told AFP. “Because I just started, whatever we're making right now is just for rent, utilities, and my people, and supplies. I don't even pay myself yet.”
Not everyone fled. Arabella Paulino, 48, a call-center employee, said her daughters were scared but remained calm. “My house is concrete, so the worst that can happen is a window could blow in,” she said. Derma Soaladaob, 51, who drives a school bus for the U.S. military, opted for a hotel, saying, “I have a concrete house but with the noise and the wind, it's scary.” Japanese tourist Miku Sakurai, 25, found her flight to Tokyo canceled and planned to hunker down in her hotel room. “I am scared,” she said as heavy rain began to fall.
Bavi’s projected track put Rota — a small island roughly halfway between Guam and Saipan — closest to the storm’s eye. Rota Mayor Aubry Hocog urged unity: “By working together and taking the necessary precautions, we can help protect our families, neighbors, and community. We pray for the safety of our people.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has positioned teams on Guam, with a distribution center stocked with 1.1 million liters of water, 1.2 million meals, 6,700 cots, and 90 generators.
Five evacuation centers in Guam schools, with a total capacity of 1,900, opened primarily for residents in vulnerable homes. The NWS warned that the “window to evacuate or seek shelter is closing” as conditions deteriorate.
The Pacific region is no stranger to powerful typhoons. In mid-April, Super Typhoon Sinlaku knocked out power for tens of thousands, uprooted trees, overturned cars, and tore metal roofs off buildings. A cargo ship, the MV Mariana, suffered engine failure and capsized, leaving one crew member dead and five others missing and presumed dead. Bavi’s arrival this week, just months after that tragedy, has heightened anxiety.
Compounding the immediate threat is a broader climatic context. The world’s oceans just recorded their hottest June on record, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service, and warmer ocean waters act as fuel for tropical storms, increasing their intensity and moisture load. The World Meteorological Organization confirmed Friday that El Niño — the natural climate phenomenon that warms the equatorial Pacific and disrupts weather patterns globally — has begun and is likely to strengthen. This combination of record heat and a developing El Niño raises the stakes for future storms in the Pacific basin.
As evening fell Sunday, Bavi’s outer bands began lashing the islands, and residents hunkered down. “I’m just praying the roof stays on,” one man told local radio.