Super Typhoon Sinlaku Closes in on Northern Mariana Islands

Super Typhoon Sinlaku is approaching the remote Mariana Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, threatening to bring destructive winds and heavy rains to the area. The storm, which formed on April 9, is the strongest of 2026 so far, with sustained winds of 278 km/hour (173 mph) on Monday.

As of midday on Tuesday local time (02:00 GMT), Sinlaku was approximately 68 nautical miles (126km) southeast of the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, moving at a slow pace of about 14 km/hour (9 mph). Although the storm appears to be weakening, it remains extremely dangerous, with warnings of widespread rain and flooding along with destructive winds that could cause power outages.

Guam’s Office of Civil Defence has issued warnings of high winds of up to 64 to 80 km/hour (40 to 50 mph) and gusts of up to 105 km/hour (65 mph), although the island is expected to avoid a direct hit from Sinlaku. The office has warned the island’s 170,000 residents to stay out of the water, as dangerous sea conditions are expected to last until Thursday.

Impact on the Region

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. Landon Aydlett, a meteorologist with the weather service in Guam, reported this damage to the Associated Press.

In a separate development, Australia has 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 triggered floods and landslides that killed at least 11 people, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape stated 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 term used to describe the strongest tropical cyclones that develop in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, where Earth’s most intense storms usually form.