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.

The NWS in Anchorage tweeted on Thursday (25 May) showing satellite image of moisture patterns over the Pacific Ocean with Super Typhoon Mawar in the western Pacific Ocean.

Remnants of the storm can be seen near the western coast of Alaska.

“Alaska is being impacted by back to back tropical fetches of moisture. Note that the second fetch is actually connected to Super Typhoon Mawar. This satellite image is from 18z or 10 am AKDT today!” NWS wrote.

The Philippines, considered the most exposed country in the world to typhoons, is no stranger to the destruction of the storms.

In recent years, it has been repeatedly battered by heavy rains and destructive winds brought by typhoons that have left thousands dead and cost billions of dollars of damage.

As super typhoon Mawar now barrels to the archipelago, it is refreshing memories of the last strong typhoon the country was struck by, typhoon Odette.

Typhoon Odette, known outside of the Philippines as super typhoon Rai, was the second costliest typhoon in Philippine history behind Typhoon Yolanda.

It swept through 11 of the country’s 17 regions in December 2021, killing 410 people and leaving behind a trail of flattened homes, damaged farms, and other food sources, severely affecting people’s lives and livelihoods.

While typhoon Mawar has maximum one-minute sustained winds of 295kmh, typhoon Odette at category 5 scale recorded 280kmh of sustained winds.

Similar to Mawar, Odette also unexpectedly rapidly intensified into a category 5 super typhoon while approaching the Philippines.

Odette made landfall in the Philippines island of Siargao. While Mawar is expected to not make a direct landfall, the state weather agency PAGASA is not ruling out the possibility as the storm can take a southward turn from its projected path (see post below).

In the Northwest Pacific Ocean, typhoons are classified based on their wind speed via the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) into three categories: typhoon, very strong typhoon and violent typhoon.

A typhoon is a tropical cycle that has sustained winds between 118-156 kilometers per hour. A very strong typhoon has sustained winds of 157-193 kilometers per hour. A violent typhoon has sustained wind speeds of over 194 kilometers per hour.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classified typhoons into two categories: a typhoon or a super typhoon if sustained winds are over 241 kilometers per hour (150 mph).

After parts of Mawar passed over Guam, the storm is now headed west toward the Philippines and Taiwain, further intensifying and threatening to bring heavy rains and gusts of wind.

Originating about 865km south of Guam, the typhoon battered the Pacific Island US territory on Wednesday.

It began moving westwards and is now expected to move toward the northern part of Luzon, Philippines and Taiwan.

While the current projections show it may not make a direct landfall in the Philippines, the state weather agency PAGASA is not ruling out the possibility (See post below).

The weather agency said the storm can take a southern turn from its projected path and can make a landfall in the northern region of Luzon.

However, the chances of that happening are currently “slim”, according to Ana Clauren-Jorda, PAGASA weather specialist quoted by CNN Philippines.

It is currently located 622km west-northwest of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and has moved westward at 22kmh (12 knots) over the past six hours towards the Philippines Area of Responsibility (PAR).

However, the rapid intensification of the typhoon, after it weakened while it struck Guam, has worried experts with PAGASA stating it can reach its peak within the next 24 hours.

Jim Yang, a researcher at the China Meteorological Association, said in a Twitter post it was possible that parts of the typhoon would make landfall in China.

Mr Yang added that Mawar can “maintain high intensity for 2 to 3 days”.

Typhoon Mawar’s re-intensification over the last few hours has worried experts as it barrels its way towards the Philippines after battering Guam.

In an advisory issued by Philippines states weather agency PAGASA at 11am local time, it said Mawar now has maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometres per hour (kmh) near the centre, and gustiness of up to 260 kmh.

However, the storm is expected to intensify further, reaching its peak intensity within 24 hours, according to the PAGASA.

With the current wind speed, Mawar is equivalent to a category 5 hurricane. It was designated as a “violent typhoon” by the Japanese Meteorological Association yesterday.

Mawar is expected to bring heavy rains that may trigger flooding or rain-induced landslides over northern Luzon region of the Philippines by late Sunday or on Monday next week.

It is currently located 622 km west-northwest of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and has moved westward at 22 kmh (12 knots) over the past 6 hours towards the Philippines Area of Responsibility (PAR), according to satellite data.

The state weather agency of the Philippines said Mawar has “slightly intensified” while moving westwards over the Philippines sea”.

Mawar is moving westward at 20 kph and was last located 1,740 kilometres east of southeastern Luzon, PAGASA said in its latest update.

Weather forecaster Dan Villamil told CNN Philippines that Mawar is currently at 215 kph near the centre and gustiness of up to 265 kph.

However, its maximum sustained winds “may further intensify” to reach 220 kph, he noted.

This comes after the agency yesterday issued a notification that the cyclone has regained its status of a “super typhoon”.

Jim Yang, a researcher at the China Meteorological Association indicated the likelihood that Typhoon Mawar makes landfall in China is increasing in a Twitter post.

“If it lands in Fujian, it will become the first typhoon in history to land in Fujian in May,” Jim Yang wrote.

Attached to the tweet was a photo of the predicted strike probability of Typhoon Mawar.

“If Mawar finally lands in Taiwan, it will become the first typhoon to land in Taiwan in May in 33 years.

In another post, the researcher said noting the increased intensity of Mawar: “What’s more difficult is that Mawar will maintain high intensity for 2 to 3 days.”