Strongest storm on planet bearing down on U.S. islands in Western Pacific
A super typhoon is bearing down on American islands in the Pacific.
Super Typhoon Sinlaku intensified into the strongest storm on the planet this year Sunday, packing sustained winds of 180 mph and gusts as high as 220 mph as it tracked toward a chain of U.S.-held islands in the Western Pacific. For the roughly 50,000 people living on Rota, Tinian and Saipan, the next 48 hours could be catastrophic.
The Northern Mariana Islands are an unincorporated U.S. territory about 6,000 miles west of San Francisco, closer to Tokyo than to Honolulu. The people who live there are American citizens, and they are about to take a direct hit from a storm equivalent to a strong Category 4 or Category 5 hurricane.
Typhoon Sinlaku is probably near its peak intensity as of Sunday evening Pacific time. Some weakening is expected before closest approach, but models still project sustained winds of 155 to 160 mph when the storm reaches the Marianas late Monday into Tuesday.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/strongest-storm-planet-bearing-down-002947591.html