Super Typhoon Mawar has intensified to a Category 5-equivalent hurricane with winds of 165 mph after lashing the island with destructive winds and torrential rain on Wednesday that brought down trees and power lines leading to widespread power outages and caused major structural damage to buildings.
The National Weather Service in Guam said all Typhoon Warnings have been discontinued. Tropical Cyclone Watches and Warnings are no longer in effect as the monster storm slowly moves away from the battered region.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TYPHOON AND SUPER TYPHOON
According to Guam’s Joint Information Center (JIC), Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero placed the island in Condition of Readiness 4 as of 5 p.m. local time, or 3 a.m. EDT. Guam is 14 hours ahead of Eastern daylight time.
Condition of Readiness 4, according to Guerrero, means that it is safe for residents to leave their homes and move about the island.
The JIC said response efforts began at daybreak around daybreak on Thursday, and no major injuries or deaths have been reported so far.
WHAT IS AN ‘EXTREME WIND WARNING’?
As of 5 a.m. EDT, Super Typhoon Mawar had sustained winds of 165 mph, and the typhoon was slowly moving away from Guam to the west-northwest at 8 mph.
Super Typhoon Mawar is expected to make a slight turn to the west with an increase in forward speed over the next 24 hours, the NWS said.
5 DIFFERENT NAMES FOR HURRICANES AROUND THE WORLD
Super Typhoon Mawar is expected to continue to spin out across the open waters of the Western Pacific Ocean and could intensify.
While a more westward motion is expected over the next day, a gradual turn to the west-northwest is expected by Friday and Saturday before a turn more toward the northwest on a path closer to the Philippines and Taiwan.
This is a developing story and updates will be added as more information is received.