CLIMATE CHANGE:
The El Nino weather pattern could boost global heat in the oceans and atmosphere even further this year and next year, scientists say
AFP, SAIPAN
People in Guam and the Northern Marianas hunkered down yesterday as the second “super typhoon” to hit the US Pacific territories since April approached with the equivalent of category-5 hurricane winds. Bavi was several hundred kilometers east of the archipelago with sustained winds of 259kph, and gusts of 314kph, the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) said in an update yesterday morning. “Current forecast tracks continue to indicate a grim outlook for the Marianas,” the US National Weather Service said. “All residents across Guam and the [Northern Mariana Islands] should plan for and anticipate at least tropical storm conditions.”
Workers secure a gas station ahead of the arrival of the forecasted Typhoon Bavi in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, on Friday.
