Typhoon Mawar update: First typhoon in Philippines of 2023 prepares to make landfall as super cyclone - The Independent

Typhoon Mawar update: First typhoon in Philippines of 2023 prepares to make landfall as super cyclone | The Independent

Typhoon Mawar – latest: Updates as Philippines braces for 175mph category 5 super cyclone

Typhoon Mawar strengthed to the equivelant of a category 5 hurricane while on path to make landfall in the Philippines

Stuti Mishra,
Namita Singh Comments

After a rapid intensification, Typhoon Mawar has become the most powerful storm of 2023 globally, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre.

The typhoon, now known as Betty after entering the oceanic area monitored by the Philippines, is packing current wind speeds of 270km/h.

In its latest update today, the Philippines’s weather agency said the storm is “maintaining its strength” as it continues to move northwards. Several areas in the archipelago are under thunderstorm and landslide warnings.

The Japanese Meteorological Association designated it as a violent typhoon, owing to storms with maximum sustained winds of at least 194km/h.

The typhoon has also surpassed the strength of any storm recorded in 2022, experts say.

Mawar’s intensification came after a brief weakening as it passed by Guam on Wednesday, lashing it with heavy rains and winds that uprooted trees and blew away roofs and cars.

According to the Guam Power Authority, nearly all of the island’s 52,000 homes and businesses experienced power outages, with only 1,000 retaining electricity.

There are no reports of loss of life, but extensive damage was reported, alongside localised flooding, fallen debris and downed power lines.
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Typhoon Mawar becomes 2023′s most intense storm

After rapid intensification, Typhoon Mawar has become the most intense storm of 2023, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC).

Mawar’s peak winds have surged to 175 mph, accompanied by gusts nearing 210 mph, JWTC said.

The typhoon has also surpassed the strength of any storm recorded in 2022 and now stands equivalent to a category 5 super typhoon.

These unprecedented wind speeds have brought the typhoon into the ranks of the five most powerful typhoons ever documented in the month of May.
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Typhoon to ‘maintain its strength’

Typhoon Mawar, now known as Betty after entering the oceanic area monitored by the Philippines, is packing current winds speed of 270km/h.

It is maintaining “its strength while moving west northwestward”, tweeted the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
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Jim Cantore shares satellite imagery of the enormous Mawar
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Flash floods, surf warnings in effect

A surf warning was issued for Guam and the Northern Marianas ahead of Typhoon Mawar, according to the National Weather Service. The warning will continue through Saturday, and includes a risk of rip currents.

The agency also said there was the potential for heavy rains and flooding on Friday night in the region.
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ICYMI: Typhoon Mawar hits Guam

Typhoon Mawar has made landing on the US territory of Guam, leaving extreme damage and power outages behind.

Andrea Blanco and Ariana Baio report:

Follow super Typhoon Mawar’s trajectory as storm heads for the Philippines

Trajectory of Typhoon Mawar
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ICYMI: Identical twin meteorologists guide Guam through Typhoon Mawar

As typhoon Mawar aimed its fury at Guam, residents facing terrifying winds and crashing waves from the strongest storm to hit the US Pacific territory in decades had identical twin meteorologists to keep them informed — and to provide the outside world with a glimpse of the chaos unfolding on the remote island.

The identical twin weathermen protecting an island from a 140mph typhoon

Guam residents facing down the strongest typhoon to hit their remote US Pacific island territory in decades had identical twins Brandon and Landon Aydlett helping them stay safe this week
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Typhoon Odette vs Mawar: Most powerful typhoons to hit the Philippines

The Philippines is considered the most exposed country in the world to tropical storms as approximately 20 cyclones enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the area of the ocean the country monitors, yearly.

As the country once again prepares for the onslaught of this powerful cyclone, here are some of the strongest storms that have battered the country in recent times.

From Odette to Mawar: The most powerful typhoons to hit the Philippines

Philippines is considered the most exposed country in the world to tropical storms
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WATCH: Typhoon Mawar intensify into super typhoon
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Will Typhoon Mawar hit Cebu?

Cebu, a port city in the Philippines, is bracing for a possible impact of typhoon Mawar as it heads towards the southeast Asian nation.

The typhoon is expected to reach the geographical region of the ocean monitored by the county, called the Philippines Area of Responsibility, tonight or tomorrow morning.

While there’s a “slim chance” of the typhoon, which has intensified greatly in the last few hours, making a direct landfall in the country, authorities are not ruling the possibility out.

The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) has activated its Incident Command System in preparation for the possible impact of Super Typhoon Mawar, according to local media reports.

The city authorities also shut down schools today and have suspended all ferry rides.

Some regions are expected to be lashed by heavy rains and winds even if the typhoon remains on its current path without moving its way towards the Philippines as feared.
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‘We’re still here’: Guam residents get to repair as typhoon Mawar passes without a single death

Chainsaws buzzed on Friday as neighbours helped each other clear toppled trees and began cleaning the wreckage of typhoon Mawar, which walloped Guam as the strongest typhoon to hit the island in over two decades.

While it was still early going in the recovery effort, Mawar appeared to have passed without leaving death or massive destruction in its wake.

“Guam has been very blessed to have no storm-related deaths or any serious injuries,” says a resident.

Read this dispatch from the remote US island:

Guam breathes sigh of relief as Typhoon Mawar leaves without single death

‘We’re still here,’ residents get to repairs after typhoon Mawar tore through Guam, ripping roofs off homes, flipping vehicles and shredding trees