The US Mariana Islands are facing extreme weather risks as super typhoon Sinlaku approaches in the early days of the week. This is one of the most notable developments in weather forecasts.
Formed from a thunderstorm area in the sea of Micronesia, Typhoon Sinlaku quickly strengthened into a tropical storm and then reached strong typhoon level, and finally super typhoon at the end of last week.
As it moves northwest, the super typhoon intensifies rapidly with sustained winds reaching about 240 km/h on Sunday 12.
According to the latest storm news from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), super typhoon Sinlaku has reached the strongest wind near the center of up to 295km/h when passing through the Western Pacific region. gusts of up to 85m/s.
The latest storm forecast shows that the storm's trajectory has slightly shifted northward, reducing the possibility of directly making landfall in Guam - the most populous island in the region. Instead, Saipan and Tinian of the Mariana Islands are expected to suffer the strongest impact of the storm, with extremely strong gusts, heavy rain and dangerous sea waves.
Super typhoon Sinlaku has an affected area of up to 644 km. The weather in Guam and Northern Mariana is forecast to be affected by heavy rain, gusts of wind destroying structures and sea level rise due to the typhoon. The risk of widespread power outages, damage to structures and life-threatening floods is warned at a high level.
Rota, Tinian and Saipan islands are most likely to suffer the most severe impacts, with sweeping winds possibly reaching about 230 km/h around Tuesday 14.
Typhoon Sinlaku is forecast to continue moving east of Japan's Volcano Islands last weekend when it reaches the wide sea area of the Northwest Pacific.
The storm is unlikely to enter the East Sea or affect Vietnam's sea weather.
The US meteorological agency has issued many weather warnings for the Mariana region. Total rainfall from April 13 to April 16 may exceed 300 mm, increasing the risk of flash floods, landslides and flooding.
Before the storm approaches the two islands, large waves and storm surges will also make sea conditions particularly dangerous, directly affecting tourism activities and sea travel.
Although storms can appear year-round in this area, the peak season is usually from June to November. Therefore, a strong super typhoon appearing right in April is considered rare.
The storm season in Guam usually lasts from June to November, but storms can still appear outside the season. The most recent strong storm affecting this area was Bolaven on October 10, 2023, causing flooding of roads in Guam and falling trees in Saipan.
Notably, the last time a category 3 or higher storm approached Guam in April was in 1989, when Super Typhoon Andy approached the island. Storms like Kujira (2003) or Isa (1997) only affected the outer rim and did not have a direct impact.
Typhoon Sinlaku is a rare off-season typhoon, and also increases the level of extreme weather risk for the Western Pacific coastal tourist area at the present time.
