Landon Aydlett, chief meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Guam, provided Kandit’s viewers with a 15-minute synopsis of a strong Typhoon Mawar that is becoming more likely to pass over or very near to Guam some time Wednesday.
And when it does, he said, the current forecast shows it may be a category-3 storm, with maximum sustained winds around 125 miles per hour. There is the possibility it could be stronger. As of the 7 p.m., ChST, Monday, May 22, 2023, Mawar already had intensified to a near-category-3 typhoon, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.
Among the key takeaways from Mr. Aydlett’s sobering statements in the interview:
• Guam will likely receive significant impacts from Mawar, with Rota expecting lesser impacts with a Guam passage of Mawar.
• There is hope the storm will continue to venture south and pass over the southern coastal waters of Guam. In order for this to be positively meaningful, the storm would have to pass at least 50 miles south of Guam. Don’t count on that happening, though nothing is impossible.
• A category-3 typhoon can destroy wood-and-tin homes. The current forecast is for Mawar to pack maximum sustained winds of about 125 mph by the time it gets to the Mariana Islands.
• Guam and Rota will begin to experience tropical storm-force winds and rains Tuesday night.
• Use the time between now and tomorrow night to secure yards of anything that heavy winds can pick up and throw. If you live in a wood-and-tin structure, or have a non-concrete roof, or otherwise do not live in a safe home or area, get to a shelter.
• There still is the possibility of Mawar veering north or south, but the window of that possibility is closing as the storm gets closer.
• Follow the advice Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense, and CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management are posting on their websites.
• Pay continuous attention to updates from the National Weather Service. ALL OF THIS CAN CHANGE, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE.
