International

"Super" Typhoon Heading Towards US Pacific Islands

Date published: July 4, 2026 14:09 KSA

A "Super" typhoon is approaching US territory today, Saturday, the second of its kind since April, as residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands prepare for winds equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said, "The typhoon 'Pavi' is hundreds of kilometers east of the archipelago, accompanied by winds of 259 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 314 kilometers per hour." The US National Weather Service warned that current forecasts "paint a grim picture for the Mariana Islands," urging residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands to prepare for tropical storm conditions.

Residents of the islands, numbering about 200,000, have flocked in recent days to gas stations, hardware stores, and supermarkets to buy food, water, and other essentials. Preparations for the typhoon have cast a shadow over celebrations of the 250th anniversary of US independence, with both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands declaring a state of emergency. The Northern Mariana Islands have a population of about 40,000, while about 170,000 live in neighboring Guam, a separate US territory. Super Typhoon Sinlaku hit the region in mid-April, causing power outages for tens of thousands, uprooting trees, overturning cars, and tearing off metal roofs from buildings.