Super Typhoon Bavi made landfall on the U.S. Pacific island of Rota on Monday. The storm is a Category 5 equivalent, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre forecast maximum sustained winds up to 280 km/h with gusts up to 333 km/h.

Accounts differ on the storm’s peak winds. A Western outlet reported winds of nearly 290 km/h (180 mph) and gusts of 350 km/h. A Pakistani source said the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre reported sustained winds of 269 km/h and gusts of 324 km/h. Chinese and Indian outlets cited the centre’s forecast of 280 km/h sustained winds and 333 km/h gusts, while another Chinese report gave figures of 260 km/h sustained winds and gusts up to 315 km/h.

The National Weather Service warned of catastrophic damage and a life‑threatening situation on Rota, saying the island could be uninhabitable for weeks, power outages could last months, and waves could reach 35 feet. The service also issued typhoon warnings for Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan, noted that the eye of the storm passed over Rota on Monday morning, and described widespread destructive winds in excess of 150 mph as extremely dangerous and life‑threatening. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero declared a state of emergency for Guam. Emergency shelters were opened, residents stocked seven days of supplies, and people in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands moved to evacuation centres. Heavy rains and high winds were battering the region ahead of the storm’s arrival, and waves of up to 35 feet were projected.