Super Typhoon Sinlaku bears down on Northern Mariana Islands, Guam 

Super Typhoon Sinlaku is closing in on the remote Mariana Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, where the massive storm system is due to bring destructive winds and heavy rains.

Sinlaku, which formed on April 9, is the strongest storm of 2026, so far, and saw sustained winds of 278 km/hour (173 mph) on Monday, according to The Associated Press (AP) news agency.

The super storm was approximately 68 nautical miles (126km) southeast of the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands at about midday on Tuesday local time (02:00 GMT), and is moving at a slow pace of about 14 km/hour (9 mph), according to the US Joint Typhoon Warning System.

While Sinlaku appears to be weakening and could pass by the Northern Mariana Islands with the strength of a Category 4 or Category 5 storm, it still remains extremely dangerous, according to Guam’s Office of Civil Defence, with warnings of widespread rain and flooding along with destructive winds that could cause power outages.

It appears Guam will avoid a direct hit from Sinlaku, the Civil Defence Office said, although the island will still encounter high winds of up to 64 to 80 km/hour (40 to 50 mph) and gusts of up to 105 km/hour (65 mph)

“Guam remains under both a tropical storm warning and a typhoon watch. While the threat of typhoon-force winds has significantly diminished for Guam, this remains a serious weather event,” the office said, warning that storm conditions will continue into Wednesday.

The office also warned the island’s 170,000 residents to stay out of the water, as dangerous sea conditions are expected to last until Thursday.

Before turning towards Guam and the Northern Marianas, the storm left significant damage to the outer islands and atolls of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia, said Landon Aydlett, a meteorologist with the weather service in Guam, told the AP.

As the Mariana Islands prepare for the impact of Sinlaku, Australia this week pledged $1.75 million in assistance to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in the wake of the recent Tropical Cyclone Maila.

The storm ripped through the region over the weekend with the strength of a Category 5 storm, triggering floods and landslides that killed at least 11 people, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape said in a statement that authorities are still assessing the damage.

“Reports are still coming in and are scattered, but we will make sure we reach every place, every island, and every community that has been affected,” he said.

A super typhoon is a name given to the strongest tropical cyclones that develop in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, where Earth’s most intense storms usually form.