Typhoon Bavi brings catastrophic winds to western Pacific islands

WELLINGTON, July 6 - Super Typhoon Bavi was crossing the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean on Monday, lashing Guam, Tinian and Saipan and blasting Rota with catastrophic winds, the U.S. National Weather Service said.

The service warned residents to take cover as the Category 5 storm moved through the island chain, parts of which are the U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. territory of Guam, about 3,800 miles (6,116 km) west of Hawaii and 1,550 miles east of the Philippines.

The weather service said Bavi's eyewall was expected to make landfall at Rota shortly after dawn local time, with "catastrophically destructive" winds up to 180 miles per hour (290 kph). Gusts to 215 mph were possible.

Rota is the southernmost island in the Northern Mariana Islands and has a population of about 2,000.

The islands of Guam, Tinian and Saipan were expected to see conditions ranging from severe tropical storm to typhoon on Monday before winds began easing.

The weather service said Bavi was producing intense showers, with 12 to 20 inches (30 to 51 cm) of rain possible near the storm's centre, raising the risk of flash flooding through Tuesday night.

The U.S. islands are a strategic defence hub in the western Pacific, hosting U.S. military training facilities and bases including Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Base Guam and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz.

Guam opened evacuation centres across the territory. In a video on Facebook on Sunday, Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero urged residents to avoid travel and stay inside, adding that the administration was "ready and prepared in our planning and our protection of our people." REUTERS