FOX Weather Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari shares the latest updates on the newly developed Super Typhoon Bavi as it makes a direct approach to the Mariana Islands this week, threatening heavy rain, winds and deadly flooding.
MARIANA ISLANDS – Super Typhoon Bavi has intensified into a massive Category 5 equivalent storm, and it is expected to remain at this strength over the next three days as it barrels through the Mariana Islands.
This extreme storm will pack sustained winds of up to 165 mph and gusts of up to 200 mph, with life-threatening conditions expected to persist over the next few days.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TYPHOON AND A SUPER TYPHOON?
Bavi is the second typhoon to impact the islands in the last few months.
(FOX Weather)
The developing storm is moving through an environment of very warm ocean water, which is fueling extreme power.
Forecasters are expecting the eye of the super typhoon to pass through the islands Sunday night, moving directly over Rota and right between Guam and Saipan.
Residents on the islands — including Guam — should expect to experience hurricane-force winds.
(FOX Weather)
“Winds are expected to be between 60 and 80 mph, with gusts potentially hitting 100 mph [in Guam], which will likely cause widespread power outages and severe damage to metal roofs and weak structures,” the FOX Forecast Center said.
Outside the ferocious wind gusts, this will help fuel life-threatening coastal flooding, driven by massive 25- to 35-foot waves crashing onshore.
LIGHTNING STRIKE KILLS ONE AND INJURES THREE IN FLORIDA AS FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS BEGIN
High waves crash against the coastline at a beach as the forecasted Super Typhoon Bavi approaches in Guam on July 5, 2026. People in Guam and the Northern Marianas moved to emergency evacuation centers and made last-minute preparations on July 5, hours before a “super typhoon” was projected to bulldoze through the US Pacific territories.
(Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP / Getty Images)
As this occurs, heavy rain totals of over a foot are expected across the Mariana Islands, which will trigger flash flooding and dangerous mudslides, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
As persistent rainfall and intense wind gusts persist, they will help fuel a continued life-threatening storm threat as Typhoon Bavi continues its direct approach to the Mariana Islands.
DAYS OF PERSISTENT HEAVY RAIN PUTS MILLIONS IN FLASH FLOOD THREAT THROUGHOUT THE MIDWEST
Typhoon Bavi comes on the heels of another super typhoon that impacted the area back in April, Super Typhoon Sinlaku. That storm fortunately resulted in no deaths, but it caused widespread devastation across Saipan and Tinian, leaving an estimated $1.5 billion plus in damage.
Sinlaku strengthened into a 185 mph storm and achieved a central pressure as low as 890 mb at peak intensity. A similar intensity may happen this time around, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
