Super Typhoon Bavi devastates Rota; 200-mph gusts expected in Taiwan
Super Typhoon Bavi brought destructive winds exceeding 100 mph to Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands on July 6, causing power outages as the area.
After devastating the Northern Mariana Island of Rota and causing damage in Guam, Super Typhoon Bavi is setting its sights on Taiwan.
"The storm is equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane (130 mph or 209 km/h) on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to the west of Saipan," AccuWeather international forecasting expert Jason Nicholls said.
Bavi is expected to produce destructive wind gusts around Taiwan and across eastern China from Friday into Monday. Wind gusts up to 160 mph (260 km/h), with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 200 mph (320 km/h), are anticipated and will result in power outages, structural damage and logistical delays.
The super typhoon is expected to maintain its intensity or strengthen slightly as it tracks west-northwest through at least Thursday, July 9, local time. Bavi is expected to impact Taiwan and eastern China from Friday into Monday.
Super Typhoon Bavi is expected to spread rainfall across Taiwan and eastern China from later Friday, July 10, through Monday, July 13, with rainfall totaling up to 18 inches (450 mm) and an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 24 inches (600 mm). This rain will result in flooding, localized mudslides, structural damage, transportation disruptions and logistical delays.
Coastal inundation is likely along the northern and western coasts of Taiwan and the coasts of Fujian and Zhejiang, China, on Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11.
The combination of wind, rain and coastal inundation will result in Bavi being rated a 4 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Tropical Cyclones in Taiwan and eastern China.
A car lies overturned after being flipped by strong winds brought by Super Typhoon Bavi in Guam on July 6, 2026. A "super typhoon" with the force of a category-five hurricane tore through the US Pacific territories of Northern Marianas and Guam on July 6, with authorities saying they had received reports of "major" damage on the small island of Rota. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images)
Super Typhoon Bavi packed a punch when it charged the Mariana Islands Sunday night. It directly impacted the island of Rota, 50 miles north of Guam, where Andersen Air Force Base is located. Weather stations gusted to 110 mph on Saipan, to the north, and 96 mph on Guam, to the south of Rota, where communications towers fell.
Winds and rain will continue to ease across the Mariana Islands Monday night, local time, as Bavi moves northwest, farther away from the archipelago. The last Civil Defense statement issued for Guam at 9:15 p.m. local time recommended that residents stay indoors and refrain from driving until further notice.
In April, Super Typhoon Sinlaku took a similar path through the islands, and power was still out on Saipan and Tinian from that storm, even before Bavi arrived.
Conditions remain conducive to additional tropical development in the vicinity of the Mariana Islands from Friday into early next week, Nicholls said. Any development in the area may bring heavy rain and gusty winds to the Mariana Islands this weekend, slowing cleanup efforts following the recent passage of Bavi.
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