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.

Super Typhoon Mawar has crossed into the Philippines monitoring reigion, where it is now being referred to as “Betty” by monitors.

The Philippines uses its own names for typhoons that enters its “area of responsibility.”

The storm is a Category 5, but is not expected to make significant landfall in the Philippines at its current strength.

Only eight other typhoons have reached a Category 5 status in May since 1950. Mawar will be the ninth.

Typhoon season typically lasts from April until December. Typhoons gaining a Category 5 equivalent status this early in the season are typically rare.

Dozens of flights have been cancelled at Manila airport as Typhoon Mawar inches closer to the Philippines, where it is now known as Betty.

Weather advisories were issued for several northern regions, including northern Luzon and eastern parts of Cagayan as the typhoon threatens to bring heavy rains and gusts of winds.

A no-sail warning has been put in place in the Philippines, with the disaster management authority put under alert in capital Manila.

Typhoon Mawar, regained its strength in the last couple of days as it moved westwards and is now the strongest storm of 2023.

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.

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.

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

Andrea Blanco and Ariana Baio report:

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 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.