According to super typhoon predictions, the Super Typhoon Mawar storm will strike the U.S. territory of Guam head-on or get dangerously close. The storm’s outer edge has already dumped two inches of rain and is moving northwest into Guam at 6 to 7 mph.
Sustained winds of 80–120 mph and 160–180 mph gusts are expected. Category 5 storm status has been assigned to the Super Typhoon Mawar.
As the storm approaches, the U.S. military is evacuating the island and bringing its planes and navy ships elsewhere. U.S. military personnel were ordered to stay indoors and seek cover.
The Senior Meteorologist at AccuWeather, Carl Erickson, said the storm would land within 10 hours.
According to Stars and Stripes, in preparation, the Navy ordered its ships away from the beach while aircraft at Andersen Air Force Base left the island or took cover in hangars.
Erickson said that Guam, more than 3,300 miles west of Hawaii, would take the brunt of the typhoon’s force for around 12 hours. The hurricane is predicted to land on the island on Tuesday night and linger until Wednesday morning.
According to Erickson, this is the strongest typhoon to strike the island since Pongsona in 2002, which caused $1 billion in damages.
Erickson said they were expecting a hazardous event and detailed how power outages, severe wind damage, coastal flooding, and life-threatening storm surge are all potential outcomes.
Rainfall totals of eight to fifteen inches are predicted for the island, with localized maximums of twenty-four. There is a chance of flash flooding and mudslides because of the storm.
On Tuesday night, President Joe Biden proclaimed a state of emergency in the territory, paving the way for government aid to be distributed in response to the hurricane. Due to this vote, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be given the green light to lead the relief operation.
In the Northwest Pacific, a typhoon is a severe tropical cyclone. In the Northeast Pacific and the Northern Atlantic, the same storm category is called a hurricane.
Storms outside of the tropics are known as “extratropical cyclones.”
