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July 7, 2026 - Super Typhoon Bavi Approaching the Northern Marianas and Guam
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Super Typhoon Bavi was roaring towards Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on July 5, 2026, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this breath taking true-color image. The leading convective bands were already bringing rain and strong winds to the islands although Bavi’s huge cloud-filled eye remained nearly 300 miles (483 km) to the east.
Near the time this image was acquired, Super Typhoon Bavi’s maximum sustained winds reached 180 miles per hour (290 km/h), bringing it to Category 5 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Category 5, which is the strongest level on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, begins at 157 miles per hour (252 km/h).
Between 6-7 p.m. EDT on July 5 (early morning local time), Bavi made landfall on Rota Island. More specifically, according to Yale Climate Connections, the “eye of the great storm completely encompassed the small island of Rota”. Early damage reports and photographs from Rota document widespread power outages, downed trees, flipped cars, and flash flooding. Pacific Daily News published images of downed and shredded trees, flooding, swamped cars, and damaged buildings on Guam.
At 11:00 p.m. EDT on July 6 (0300 UTC on July 7), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) advised that Typhoon Bavi’s maximum sustained winds had dropped to 144 miles per hour (232 km/h), which downgrades it to a Category 4 storm. Bavi’s center was located near 16.3ºN and 139.2ºE, or 1,053 miles (1,695 km) southeast of Kadena Air Force Base and was tracking west-northwest. The JTWC estimated maximum significant wave height at 56 feet (17 meters).
Typhoon Bavi is expected to continue to transit the Philippine Sea and continue to move northwest for the next several days. The JTWC advises that it may undergo some transitory strengthening, but the overall trend should be weakening. Bavi is expected to pass just northeast of Taiwan before making landfall over eastern China on July 10, most likely as a strong Category 1 or weak Category 2 storm.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 7/5/2026
Resolutions:
1km (330.5 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Super Typhoon Bavi was roaring towards Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on July 5, 2026, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this breath taking true-color image. The leading convective bands were already bringing rain and strong winds to the islands although Bavi’s huge cloud-filled eye remained nearly 300 miles (483 km) to the east.
Near the time this image was acquired, Super Typhoon Bavi’s maximum sustained winds reached 180 miles per hour (290 km/h), bringing it to Category 5 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Category 5, which is the strongest level on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, begins at 157 miles per hour (252 km/h).
Between 6-7 p.m. EDT on July 5 (early morning local time), Bavi made landfall on Rota Island. More specifically, according to Yale Climate Connections, the “eye of the great storm completely encompassed the small island of Rota”. Early damage reports and photographs from Rota document widespread power outages, downed trees, flipped cars, and flash flooding. Pacific Daily News published images of downed and shredded trees, flooding, swamped cars, and damaged buildings on Guam.
At 11:00 p.m. EDT on July 6 (0300 UTC on July 7), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) advised that Typhoon Bavi’s maximum sustained winds had dropped to 144 miles per hour (232 km/h), which downgrades it to a Category 4 storm. Bavi’s center was located near 16.3ºN and 139.2ºE, or 1,053 miles (1,695 km) southeast of Kadena Air Force Base and was tracking west-northwest. The JTWC estimated maximum significant wave height at 56 feet (17 meters).
Typhoon Bavi is expected to continue to transit the Philippine Sea and continue to move northwest for the next several days. The JTWC advises that it may undergo some transitory strengthening, but the overall trend should be weakening. Bavi is expected to pass just northeast of Taiwan before making landfall over eastern China on July 10, most likely as a strong Category 1 or weak Category 2 storm.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 7/5/2026
Resolutions:
1km (330.5 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
