Super Typhoon Sinlaku Nears Northern Mariana Islands

Super Typhoon Sinlaku, the most powerful storm recorded worldwide this year, barreled toward the Northern Mariana Islands on Monday, prompting widespread emergency preparations across the U.S. territory and neighboring Guam as it threatened destructive winds and flooding starting late that day.

The storm, churning in the Philippine Sea with sustained winds of 173 to 180 miles per hour and gusts up to 220 miles per hour, was forecast by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center to brush or cross the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota as a Category 4 or 5 equivalent typhoon on Tuesday. Located about 240 nautical miles from the Marianas early Monday, Sinlaku had intensified rapidly since Sunday, becoming the second Category 5 tropical cyclone of the year despite the typical peak season running from June to November. Its unusually large size meant gale-force winds extended far from the center, heightening risks for the region's approximately 200,000 residents, including those near major U.S. military bases on Guam.

In the Northern Mariana Islands, authorities raised Typhoon Condition III on Saturday, signaling potential winds of at least 74 miles per hour within 48 hours. Governor David...