Typhoon In-fa could intensify into a super typhoon by Thursday before passing through the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) near Pagan Island on Friday, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS) in Guam.
In its Tuesday morning update, the NWS said In-fa was a category 3 typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour, or about 201 kilometres per hour.
The storm had rapidly intensified from a category 1 typhoon on Monday afternoon to category 4 by Monday evening, before weakening slightly as it remained nearly stationary over cooler ocean waters.
At 7am Tuesday loal time, In-fa was located about 1180 miles east of Guam and was moving west at just one mile per hour.
Forecasters expect the typhoon to pick up speed and turn west-northwest while strengthening over the next two days.
The latest forecast places In-fa near or over Pagan Island late Friday, with weather models generally agreeing on a track between Anatahan and Agrihan in the Northern Marianas.
The NWS said Saipan is now just outside the southern edge of the forecast cone of uncertainty, making a direct hit increasingly unlikely.
However, forecasters cautioned that the storm could still shift southward and pass close to Saipan.
They also warned that changes in the storm’s track and timing remain possible as it approaches the islands.
As of Tuesday morning, no tropical storm or typhoon watches or warnings were in effect for Guam or the CNMI.
Residents throughout the Northern Marianas are being urged to monitor the storm closely and prepare to take action if conditions change.
