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Super Typhoon Mawar was reported to be a Category 4 storm when it hit Guam Wednesday (May 24) morning, becoming the strongest storm to hit the territory in decades, NBC News reports.
Mawar went through the Rota channel and clipped the northern part of the U.S. Pacific territory at around 9:00 p.m. local time, bringing winds exceeding 115 MPH until 10:45 p.m., which resulted in tornado-like damage, according to National Weather Service in Guam. The eye of the typhoon was reported to have passed over the northern tip of Guam at around 8:45 p.m., bringing winds of up to 145 MPH, according to the government agency.
The typhoon has since been reported to be 15 miles north, northeast of Guam as it continues to move toward the northwest at a speed of 8 MPH, according to the most recent typhoon advisory via NBC News.
“This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation," said Landon Aydlett, warning coordinator for the National Weather Service, during a live stream update shared Wednesday evening local time.
Locals were warned to "take cover now" away from windows before conditions were expected to become less severe as of Thursday (May 25) morning local time. Thousands of residents are reported to be without power following the storm.
Mawar was described as a potential "triple threat" as it was expected to bring torrential rains, life-threatening storm surge and force winds reaching Category 4 storm levels, according to Guam's Homeland Security department.