In early July 2026, for the second time in three months, a powerful typhoon crossed the United States Northern Mariana Islands and Guam in the North Pacific Ocean. Super Typhoon Bavi reached its peak intensity as it approached the islands on the night of July 5, bringing winds of 290 kilometers (180 miles) per hour, along with torrential rains and dangerous storm surges.

This nighttime image, captured by the VIIRS (Visible IR Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-20 satellite, shows the eye of Bavi at approximately 3:30 p.m. universal time on July 5 (1:30 a.m. local time on July 6). Light from the Moon, which was in the waning gibbous phase, illuminates the western side of the eyewall. The eye passed over Rota, north of Guam, several hours after the image was acquired.

Bavi became a super typhoon in the early hours of July 4 local time as it moved westward over the warm ocean. Satellite observations indicated that sea surface temperatures were around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in the region. Bavi was the third tropical cyclone in 2026 to reach category 5 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale.

According to media reports, the typhoon caused extensive damage in Guam, Rota, and Saipan, knocking down power poles and lines; flooding roads and filling them with debris; and damage to buildings, including a water distribution station in Rota. U.S. Coast Guard crews reportedly worked to eliminate shipping hazards in the waterways around Guam and the Northern Marianas and reopen ports as dangerous maritime conditions eased. This damage is in addition to the destructive winds and flooding caused by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which crossed the islands in mid-April.

On July 8, Bavi remained a powerful typhoon as it moved westward over the Philippine Sea. In the early afternoon, when the image above was captured, the National Weather Service reported maximum sustained winds of 250 kilometers (155 miles) per hour. Forecasts indicated that the typhoon’s path could turn northwestward toward Taiwan, Japan’s southern Ryukyu Islands and mainland China and weaken in the coming days.

In a Yale Climate Connections article, meteorologist Jeff Masters said Bavi is the type of storm that might be expected when a strong El Niño is forming, as is currently the case. El Niño year typhoons may form further east, giving them more time over warm waters to intensify before curving toward Asia, Masters explained, “resulting in a greater likelihood of reaching Category 5 intensity.”

NASA Earth Observatory images taken by Michala Garrison, using data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), and hurricane tracking data from the US Naval Research Laboratory. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

• CIMSS Satellite Blog (July 3, 2026) Super Typhoon Bavi rapidly intensifies into a Category 5 storm east of Guam and eventually passes just north of Rota Island. Accessed July 8, 2026.
• Military.com (2026, July 7) Coast Guard working to reopen Guam and CNMI ports after Super Typhoon Bavi. Accessed July 8, 2026.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2026, April 14) Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Accessed July 8, 2026.
• National Weather Service (2026, July 8) Tropical Cyclone Public Advisory. Accessed July 8, 2026.
• Weather Underground (2026, July 8) Super Typhoon Bavi. Accessed July 8, 2026.
• Yale Climate Connections (2026, July 3) Super Typhoon Bavi becomes the third Cat 5 of 2026. Accessed July 8, 2026.