Typhoon Bolaven Expected to Impact U.S. Weather After Slamming Guam

Earlier this week, Typhoon Bolaven in the West Pacific basin slammed the U.S. territory of Guam, bringing strong winds and heavy downpours to the island. On Saturday, Bolaven had become a tropical storm hundreds of miles southeast of Guam, and strengthened into a super typhoon with wind speeds of 170 mph.

Although the super typhoon didn't land land directly, it still impacted the Mariana Islands and is expected to impact the U.S. next.

The Impacts to Guam

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero declared a state of emergency for Guam on Sunday as Bolaven inched closer to the island.

Tropical storm-force winds blew across the Mariana Islands through Tuesday night. Wind gusts of up to 68 mph were recorded on Saipan Island, and 46 mph winds were recorded at the Guam International Airport.

Almost 4 inches of rain had also been recorded in Agana, Guam by Tuesday night, and the airport saw over 2 inches of rain just from Tuesday. Guam had been in Condition Readiness 1 with a flash flood warning issued until 4:15pm.

The lowest pressure and peak wind speeds of Typhoon Bolaven reminded forecasters of Typhoon Mawar that hit Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands earlier this summer. With wind speeds of 149 mph, Mawar was equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.

While residents still are recovering from Typhoon Mawar, Joint Region Marianas, who oversees military installations on Guam stated in a Facebook post on Monday that, “previous lessons learned” and was “well postured to weather the storm and begin recovery operations as soon as possible".

Typhoon Bolaven's Impacts to the U.S.

Although Typhoon Bolaven will not make a direct hit to the U.S., forecasters are monitoring the storm closely to see how it could potentially cause problems across the Gulf of Alaska late next week.

Bolaven has the potential to curve towards the Gulf of Alaska before weakening, then rapidly intensifying again. This would impact the weather not only in Alaska but also along the U.S. West Coast. The storm could bring strong winds and downpours, rough seas, and feet of snow.

Forecasters will continue to monitor the storm's path.

severe weather

Typhoon Bolaven Expected to Impact U.S. Weather After Slamming Guam

The Impacts to Guam

Typhoon Bolaven's Impacts to the U.S.

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