Guam raised its emergency alert to the second-highest level on Saturday evening, July 4, 2026, as Super Typhoon Bavi moved toward the island. Officials expect dangerous winds to arrive within a day.

The storm developed and strengthened in just three days. On July 2, it was upgraded from a tropical depression to a tropical storm. Two days later, it had become a Category 5 typhoon — the strongest classification. Category 5 means sustained winds exceed 130 knots, or roughly 150 miles per hour.

By early morning on July 3, the storm's center was about 800 miles east of Guam and moving west at 15 miles per hour. That heading put it on track to pass near the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory north of Guam.

Guam's government issued a series of emergency orders over three days. The first declared a State of Emergency. Then it raised the alert level from stage 3 to stage 2, which means destructive winds could hit within 24 hours. The National Weather Service issued a full set of warnings: a Typhoon Warning, High Surf Advisory, and Flood Watch.

The Northern Mariana Islands were directly in Bavi's path. Weather forecasters predicted the storm would pass as a Category 5 system near the islands of Tinian and Saipan on Sunday afternoon.

This is the third Category 5 storm to form in the Pacific this year. That pace is faster than typical for early July, before the main typhoon season peaks in August and September. For island communities, the concern is cumulative: when extreme storms arrive close together, they leave little time for recovery and strain the same emergency resources.

Under the highest alert, Guam's next steps follow a set plan. People are told to shelter in place. Ports and airports will close. Emergency managers coordinate with federal agencies and the U.S. military. How quickly the storm weakens after passing the islands, and whether it gains strength over warm ocean water before reaching the Philippine Sea, will determine what happens next.