U.S. Coast Guard crews in Guam prepare for Typhoon Bavi by securing booms for the cutters on Victor Wharf on July 2, 2026. (Sara Muir/U.S Coast Guard)
Guam and the Northern Marianas, including military installations across the region, braced Sunday for the arrival of Super Typhoon Bavi, the second substantial storm to cross the region since April.
The Guam Joint Information Center at 8 a.m. warned of tropical storm force winds of 39 mph or more within the day and typhoon-force winds of 74 mph or more to follow at Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan, according to a Sunday morning special bulletin on the Guam.gov website.
Bavi on Sunday was 300 miles east of Guam and moving west-northwestward at 7 mph with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, according to the bulletin.
“As currently forecast, Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan will experience some degree of typhoon force winds; with potentially catastrophic, super typhoon force winds (greater than 150 mph) over Rota, if Bavi makes a direct passage over the island on Monday,” the bulletin states.
The National Weather Service on Sunday described Bavi as a “very dangerous, category 4” equivalent super typhoon.
Guam was in Condition of Readiness 1 at noon local time, which means destructive winds of 58 mph or greater are anticipated within 12 hours, according to the Guam governor’s official Facebook page.
Residents should avoid travel and prepare for power and water outages, according to the Guam Office of Civil Defense. Bring all outdoor furniture, trash cans and loose items inside. Doorways should be sandbagged, doors closed and windows taped or boarded up to prevent shattering. An adequate supply of food, water and emergency items should be on hand.
The island’s Joint Information Center warned that “poorly constructed metal roof homes” may be substantially damaged and rendered uninhabitable. Debris may become dangerous missiles picked up by the wind that cause damage or injury.
On Guam, authorities opened emergency evacuation shelters at 7 a.m. Sunday at five elementary schools: Machananao, Astumbo, Maria A. Ulloa, Ordot-Chalan Pago and Talofofo. Evacuees were instructed to bring food and water for seven days, bedding, personal hygiene products, required medications and personal identification, according to the bulletin.
The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday set heavy weather condition Yankee. The ports of Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota are closed and commercial vessels of 200 gross tons or greater must evacuate unless approved to stay; inbound vessels may not enter, according to a news release from U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam.
Under condition Zulu, expected around midnight Sunday, the Marinas ports will be closed to maritime traffic, and all cargo and bunker operations will be suspended until further notice, according to the release.
The Coast Guard prepared its own vessels for the storm, according to spokeswoman Lt. Sara Muir.
“Our 45-foot Response Boat–Mediums are out of the water, our 29-foot Response Boat–Smalls are trailered, and our cutters have departed or are departing to ride out the weather safely — they will return to respond once conditions allow,” Muir said in the release.
The last major storm to pass through the region, Super Typhoon Sinlaku in mid-April, caused weeks-long power outages in the Northern Marianas and brought flooding to parts of Guam.
Super Typhoon Mawar in May 2023 caused considerable damage throughout Guam that took years to repair, in some cases.
