Typhoon Mawar, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Betty, was one of the strongest
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...
tropical cyclones on record in the month of May, and the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2023. The name "Mawar" means ''
Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...
'' in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. The second named storm, the first typhoon and the first super typhoon of the
2023 Pacific typhoon season
The 2023 Pacific typhoon season was the fourth and final consecutive below-average season and became the third-most inactive typhoon season on record in terms of named storms, with just 17 named storms developing, only ahead of 2010 Pacific typho ...
, Mawar originated from an
area of low pressure
In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclem ...
south-southwest of
Chuuk Lagoon
Chuuk Lagoon, previously Truk Atoll, is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1,800 kilometres (970 nautical miles) northeast of New Guinea and is part of Chuuk State within the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). A protective ...
that developed into a tropical depression on May 19. It fluctuated in intensity and became a tropical storm, after which it intensified into a Category 4-equivalent super typhoon on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. It then underwent an
eyewall replacement cycle
In meteorology, eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones with maximum sustained winds greater than , or hurricane-force, and particularly in major hurricanes of Saffir–Simps ...
, then reintensified to attain 1-minute sustained winds of according to the JTWC, becoming a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon. Mawar weakened slightly as it moved around the southwestern edge of the subtropical high that made it steer north of
the Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...
and then east of Taiwan. Mawar traversed the
Okinawa Islands
The are an island group in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and are the principal island group of the prefecture. The Okinawa Islands are part of the larger Ryukyu Islands group and are located between the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture to the ...
as a tropical storm, then transitioned into an
extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
as it moved northeastward out to sea, where it later dissipated east of
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively.
Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...
.
Typhoon Mawar passed north of
Guam
Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
as a Category 4-equivalent typhoon on May 24, bringing hurricane-force winds and heavy rain marking as the strongest storm to affect the island since
Typhoon Pongsona
Typhoon Pongsona was the last typhoon of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season, and was the second costliest United States disaster in 2002, only behind Hurricane Lili. The name "Pongsona" was contributed by North Korea for the Pacific tropical cyclon ...
in 2002. U.S. President
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
declared Guam a major disaster area on May 27, enabling the distribution of federal funds. Two men are presumed dead after going missing in the waters off Guam; additionally, one death related to the storm has been reported in Taiwan. Mawar caused one death, one minor injury, and damage worth ₱201,696 (US$3,584) as it passed close to the eastern Philippines. Heavy rain in parts of Japan killed two people and left four people missing. At least 8,900 homes experienced power outages in Japan. Total damages from Mawar are estimated to reach US$4.3 billion.
Meteorological history
On May 17, a weak low-level circulation (LLC) located south of Guam was marked by the
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
(JTWC) as ''Invest 97W''. Global forecast models such as the
Global Forecast System
The Global Forecast System (GFS) is a global numerical weather prediction system containing a global computer model and variational analysis run by the United States' National Weather Service (NWS).
Operation
The mathematical model is ...
and
Navy Global Environmental Model
The Navy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM) is a global numerical weather prediction computer simulation run by the United States Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center. This mathematical model is run four times a day and prod ...
indicated that the disturbance would gradually intensify into a
tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
in the upcoming days. The
atmospheric convection
Atmospheric convection is the vertical transport of heat and moisture in the atmosphere. It occurs when warmer, less dense air rises, while cooler, denser air sinks.
This process is driven by parcel-environment instability, meaning that a "par ...
broadened over the LLC the following day. Later the JTWC issued a
Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert
A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) is a bulletin released by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii or the Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, Virginia, warning of the possibility of a tropical cyclone formi ...
on the disturbance after thunderstorms became very wide and organization had improved. The
Japan Meteorological Agency
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA; ''気象庁, Kishō-chō'') is a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism dedicated to the Scientific, scientific observation and research of natural phenomena. Headquartered ...
also began tracking the system, marking it as a
low-pressure area
In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with incle ...
shortly before upgrading it to a tropical depression on May 19. The system steered northward due to the weak
trade winds
The trade winds or easterlies are permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere ...
. The JTWC followed suit on May 20 after the depression had strengthened from warm
sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...
s and poleward and westward
outflow
Outflow may refer to:
*Capital outflow, the capital leaving a particular economy
*Bipolar outflow, in astronomy, two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star
* Outflow (hydrology), the discharge of a lake or other reservoir system
*Outflow ...
, designating it ''02W''. The same day, the depression upgraded to a tropical storm after a
scatterometer
A scatterometer or diffusionmeter is a scientific instrument to measure the return of a beam of light or radar waves scattered by diffusion in a medium such as air. Diffusionmeters using visible light are found in airports or along roads to measur ...
pass revealed winds of in the southwest quadrant, as it formed a
central dense overcast
The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or ir ...
. The JMA in response, assigned the name ''Mawar'' to the storm. The JMA further upgraded the storm to severe tropical storm status at 00:00 UTC of May 21, as the deep convection in the CDO completely obscured the LLCC. Both the JMA and JTWC upgraded Mawar to a typhoon on May 21. An
eye
An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system.
In higher organisms, the ey ...
formed under the CDO on May 22, as
rainband
A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands in tropical cyclones can be either stratiform or convective and are curved in shape. They consist of showers and th ...
s wrapped around the circulation center of the system.
On May 23, Mawar
rapidly intensified
Rapid intensification (RI) is any process wherein a tropical cyclone strengthens very dramatically in a short period of time. Tropical cyclone forecasting agencies utilize differing thresholds for designating rapid intensification events, th ...
eyewall replacement cycle
In meteorology, eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones with maximum sustained winds greater than , or hurricane-force, and particularly in major hurricanes of Saffir–Simps ...
. But despite usually causing the storm to weaken, the typhoon strengthened even further into a super typhoon, the highest classification of strength from the JTWC, after reaching winds of . On May 24, the center of Mawar passed just off the northern tip of Guam and Andersen Air Force Base as a Category 4-equivalent typhoon with maximum sustained winds up to 140 mph with gusts up to 165 mph around 9 p.m. local time, then slightly weakened. On May 25, the aforementioned eyewall replacement cycle had been completed, and a uniform eye had appeared. Initially cloud-filled, the storm quickly cleared it out and continued strengthening slowly as it moved west-northwestward. By the next day, Mawar reached its peak intensity, attaining 1-minute sustained winds of according to the JTWC, which is equivalent to Category 5 strength on the SSHWS. It also had 10-minute sustained winds of 215 km/h (130 mph) and a minimum central barometric pressure of which was assessed by the JMA. While being large and symmetrical, Mawar again went through another eyewall replacement cycle, resuming its weakening trend from the process. However, its concentric eye still remained large throughout the procedure. By 18:00 UTC of May 26, Mawar entered the
Philippine Area of Responsibility
The Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) is an area in the Northwestern Pacific where PAGASA, the Philippines' national meteorological agency, monitors weather occurrences. Significant weather disturbances, specifically typhoons that enter o ...
(PAR), and
PAGASA
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (, abbreviated as PAGASA , which means "hope" as in the Tagalog language, Tagalog word ''pag-asa'') is the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS ...
hence assigned it the name ''Betty''.
On May 27, Mawar slightly weakened under the influence of dry air while moving west along the southern edge of a
subtropical high
The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as subtropical ridges or highs. It is a high-pressure ...
. The structural degradation continued as Mawar's convection fragmented at the northern side of the storm. During that time, Mawar was situated in an area where the sea surface temperatures were , indicating a cooling trend as the storm's outflow became impacted by it. The CDO shrank from the dry air on May 29, while the convective decay continued on Mawar's northwest quadrant while steering north-northeastward from a subtropical ridge to the northwest and east of the storm. The eye was no longer detected on satellite imagery on May 30 as yet another weak eyewall replacement cycle commenced. As a result, Mawar weakened into a severe tropical storm as the JMA reported on May 31, before exiting the PAR on June 1. Mawar continued to further weaken into a tropical storm on June 2 whilst moving towards Okinawa Island.
The following day, Mawar became an
extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
south of
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...
by May 21; a
flood watch
A flood warning or flood alert is the task of making use of flood forecasts to make decisions about whether warnings should be issued to the general public or if previous warnings should be rescinded or retracted.
The task of providing warning fo ...
was also issued for the islands as the storm neared.Guam Governor
Lou Leon Guerrero
Lourdes Aflague "Lou" Leon Guerrero (born November 8, 1950) is an American politician and former banking executive, lobbyist, and nurse who has served as the ninth governor of Guam since 2019.Haidee Eugenio Gilbert''Crowd: Governor's speech inspi ...
and Rear Admiral Benjamin Nicholson (commander of
Joint Region Marianas
Joint Region Marianas' mission is to provide installation management support
to all Department of Defense components and tenants through assigned
regional installations on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in support
of training in the Marian ...
) set the Condition of Readiness at level 3 (COR 3) on May 21 while Mawar was a tropical depression some south-southeast of Guam. Military installations on Guam began to secure facilities in response to the anticipated storm. The
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
evacuated two of its vessels stationed on the islands out to sea. COR 2 was declared at 8 p.m. ChST later that day, prompting the closure of courts and public schools as the Government of Guam suspended nonessential services. Hospitals and clinics on Guam also curtailed services in response to the COR 2 issuance. Other neighboring islands, such as Rota and Saipan, also closed establishments in preparation for Mawar. All public schools on the Northern Marianas Islands were closed beginning on May 22. Flights to Guam were cancelled between May 22–24. The SCLC caging playoffs were also suspended due to the incoming tempest.
Leon Guerrero declared a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
for Guam on May 22, stating that Mawar presented an "imminent, credible and significant threat to the health, safety and welfare of Guam." President
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
approved
emergency declaration
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
s for Guam and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States consisting of 14 islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.Lin, Tom C.W.Amer ...
the same day, enabling the allocation of federal resources to the threatened islands COR 1 was placed in effect for Guam at 1 p.m. ChST on May 23. Leon Guerrero issued an evacuation order for the Guam's low-lying coastal districts, ordering residents to evacuate to higher ground by 6 p.m. ChST later that day. Villages subject to the evacuation order included Hågat, Humåtak, Malesso, and Talo'fo'fo. The evacuation order also directed the Guam National Guard to assist evacuations. The
Guam Department of Education
The Guam Department of Education (GDOE), formerly the Guam Public School System, is a school district that serves the United States territory of Guam. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities a ...
opened emergency shelters at 12 schools at 8 a.m. ChST on May 23. By 9 p.m. ChST, 862 people were housed in government-operated shelters. The evacuation of people on military installations in threatened areas was also authorized by Nicholson.
Cagayan
Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan (; ; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Cagayan''; ivatan language, Ivatan: ''Provinsiya nu Cagayan''; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Cag ...
, including the islands of
Babuyan
The Babuyan Islands ( ), also known as the Babuyan Group of Islands, is an archipelago in the Philippines, located in the Luzon Strait north of the main island of Luzon and south of Taiwan. The archipelago consists of five major islands and thei ...
and
Camiguin
Camiguin, officially the Province of Camiguin (; ; Kamigin: ''Probinsya ta Kamigin''), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bohol Sea, about off the northern coast of mainland Mindanao. It is geographically part of Region ...
, as well as the eastern portion of Isabela. The agency also began raising Signal No. 2 warnings in parts of Northern Luzon. A total of 689,885 family food packages have been pre-positioned nationwide by the
Department of Social Welfare and Development
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the protection of the social welfare of rights of Filipinos and to promote social development.
History
In 1915, ...
(DSWD) in preparation of possible landfall of Mawar. The NDRRMC has activated its emergency preparedness and response protocols. The
Department of Public Works and Highways
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for serving as the country's engineering and construction arm. It is tasked with implementing the government's policy to ...
(DPWH) has begun preparing staff and equipment for the potential effects of Mawar. President
Bongbong Marcos
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...
said that funds and food supplies have been set up, and emergency teams are on standby. Classes were also suspended in some areas on May 26. Five Aurora towns had their tourism activities suspended by local authorities. According to the NDRRMC, 5,990 people were preemptively evacuated.
In Taiwan, a sea warning was issued by the
Central Weather Bureau
The Central Weather Administration (CWA; ) is the government meteorological research and forecasting institution of Taiwan (the Republic of China). In addition to meteorology, the Central Weather Administration also makes astronomical observation ...
. Heavy rain was anticipated in northern and eastern Taiwan. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications reported that over 25 ships on six different routes, including ferries traveling from
Keelung
Keelung ( ; zh, p=Jīlóng, c=基隆, poj=Ke-lâng), Chilung or Jilong ( ; ), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city in northeastern Taiwan. The city is part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with neighboring New Ta ...
,
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country ...
,
Chiayi
Chiayi (,), officially known as Chiayi City, is a Provincial city (Taiwan), city located in Chianan Plain in Regions of Taiwan, southwestern Taiwan, surrounded by Chiayi County with a population of 263,188 inhabitants as of January 2023.
The H ...
, and
Pingtung County
Pingtung () is a County (Taiwan), county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county ...
to the
Matsu Islands
The Matsu Islands; Foochow Romanized: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤ ( or ), officially Lienchiang County; Foochow Romanized: Lièng-gŏng-gâing (), are an archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea governed by the Republic of China ...
and
Penghu
The Penghu ( , Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, about west of the main island of Taiwan across the Penghu Ch ...
as well as
Orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...
and Green Islands, ceased operation on May 30. Due to the storm, 28 domestic flights were canceled and one was delayed. Residents of Japan's southern
Sakishima Islands
The (or 先島群島, ''Sakishima-guntō'') (Okinawan language, Okinawan: ''Sachishima'', Miyakoan language, Miyako: ''Saksїzїma'', Yaeyama language, Yaeyama: ''Sakїzїma'', Yonaguni language, Yonaguni: ''Satichima'') are an archipelago loca ...
group, which includes the
Okinawa Islands
The are an island group in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and are the principal island group of the prefecture. The Okinawa Islands are part of the larger Ryukyu Islands group and are located between the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture to the ...
, were already preparing for the storm.
The US military, which has approximately 20,000 troops stationed in several facilities on Okinawa, will take precautionary measures as the storm approaches, depending on the necessity. Flood warnings were issued by the JMA for the Okinawa island chain, as well as areas of
Shikoku
is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
and Honshu islands, with of rain anticipated for western
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
. Additionally, the nearby city of
Yokohama
is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
received warnings of heavy rain and mudslides. According to the
Fire and Disaster Management Agency
The (FDMA) is an external agency attached to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in Japan.
Background
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency was established through article 3 paragraph 2 of the 1948 National Government Organizat ...
, about 1.3 million people were urged to evacuate across Japan. The
Ministry of Transport
A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...
reported that around 300 flights and 52 ferries had been canceled on June 2.
Impact and aftermath
Guam
Power outage
A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user.
There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
s began affecting parts of Guam on May 22 as winds from Mawar intensified up to sustained, with gusts approaching . During the evening of May 24, the eye of Typhoon Mawar passed through the northern coast of Guam as it traversed the Rota Channel and Andersen Air Force Base. The local
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
office issued an
extreme wind warning
An extreme wind warning (Specific Area Message Encoding, SAME code EWW) is an alert issued by the National Weather Service for areas on land that will experience sustained surface winds or greater within one hour. As of 2024, it has only been u ...
at 5:22 p.m in effect until 6:45 p.m., but then was later extended to 10:45 p.m. for May 24th for the northern half of Guam. Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport had also recorded winds up to as Mawar impacted the island when the Extreme Wind Warning was still in effect, but the office later lost its wind sensors before the height of the storm around 9 pm. The
Weather Prediction Center
The Weather Prediction Center (WPC), located in College Park, Maryland, is one of nine service centers under the umbrella of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), a part of the National Weather Service (NWS), which in turn is ...
reported that multiple locations in Guam received at least of rain during Typhoon Mawar, with most of it falling in just three hours. A
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
rain gauge in
Dededo
Dededo (; Spanish: ) is the most populated village in the United States territory of Guam. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dededo's population was just under 45,000 in 2020. The village is located on the coral plateau of Northern Guam. The gr ...
,
Guam
Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
measured the most rainfall at .
Despite being the strongest storm to strike the island in over 20 years, overall structural damage was relatively limited. However, the typhoon's powerful winds did defoliate and uproot trees, topple billboards, and tear tin roofing from buildings. Floodwaters in
Yona
The word Yona in Pali and the Prakrits, and the analogue Yavana in Sanskrit, were used in Ancient India to designate Greek speakers. "Yona" and "Yavana" are transliterations of the Greek word for "Ionians" (), who were probably the first Gr ...
were reported to be waist-deep.
Guam Memorial Hospital
Guam Memorial Hospital is a rural general hospital located in Tamuning, Guam and is the only public hospital serving the island of Guam. The hospital has 161 licensed acute care beds, plus 40 beds at its off-site, long-term care Skilled Nursing F ...
suffered some damage as typhoon shutters gave out, walls collapsed, and windows broke. Torrential rains pouring through damaged areas of the building caused staircases to flood with water. The hospital's kitchen caught fire during the storm, leaving it useless. Four piers operated by Mobil were damaged at the Port of Guam. Along Piti Channel, three barges, two mobile crane barges, and a derelict vessel were grounded. Two tugboats sank during the storm, forcing crew members to abandon ship. A dry dock at
Cabras Island
Cabras Island was historically a low-lying finger of land off the coast of Piti, Guam that formed part of the northern protective arm of Apra Harbor. Shortly after the 1944 Battle of Guam it was connected by a causeway to the mainland and exten ...
sank. The Sumay Cove Marina at
Naval Base Guam
Naval Base Guam is a strategic U.S. naval base located on Apra Harbor and occupying the Orote Peninsula. In 2009, it was combined with Andersen Air Force Base to form Joint Region Marianas, which is a Navy-controlled joint base.
The Ship Rep ...
suffered damage. Navy Rescue 21 Search and Rescue towers were rendered inoperable. Two men were swept out to sea off Guam in separate incidents on May 25. Efforts to locate them would have no results by May 27 and the two men are presumed dead.On the afternoon of May 26, 41.4% of
Guam Power Authority The Guam Power Authority (GPA, ) is an agency of the Government of Guam and Guam's electricity provider. Its headquarters are in Fadian, Mangilao, Guam.substations had been energized and 3.8% of system load for customers had been restored. Additionally, the Guam Waterworks Authority (GWA) reported that 50% of opera ble water wells were online, with connections yet to be restored to Navy-supplied sources in Sånta Rita-Sumai and
Nimitz Hill Annex
Nimitz Hill Annex is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in Asan-Maina, Guam. It contains the geographic feature of Nimitz Hill, and is located immediately northeast of the Nimitz Hill CDP in Piti. In normal conversation, the Nimitz Hil ...
. Eight public water tanks from the GWA were set up across Guam by May 28 as wat er service was slowly restored. A boil water advisory remained in place for residents with access to tap water. Telecommunication providers
Docomo Pacific
Docomo Pacific is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese mobile phone operator NTT Docomo headquartered in Tamuning, Guam. It is the largest provider of mobile, television, internet and telephone services to the United States territories of Guam ...
,
GTA Teleguam
GTA Teleguam (GTA) is the principal telecommunications company in Guam, providing telephone, cellular, internet and television services to residents of the island. The firm is based in Tamuning.
The majority owner of GTA Teleguam is the Japanese ...
(GTA), and IT&E worked to restore service. Docomo suspended
data cap
A data cap, often referred to as a bandwidth cap, is a restriction imposed on data transfer over a network. In particular, it refers to policies imposed by an internet service provider to limit customers' usage of their services; typically, excee ...
s and distributed generators to keep services running. GTA reported repair work would not begin until power was restored. IT&E's
fiber-optic network
Fiber-optic communication is a form of optical communication for transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared or visible light through an optical fiber. The light is a form of carrier wave that is modulated ...
was damaged in southern Guam . , the FCC reported that 163 cell towers remained offline: seven due to damage, but the remainder due to a lack of power. Another 120 towers were operating on backup power. A lack of power and fuel for generators, along with damage to studios and transmission facilities, kept radio and television stations off the air after the storm, too. Approximately 3,000 Korean tourists were stranded on the island as the island's international airpo rt remained shut down due to damage caused by Typhoon Mawar. The Guam Visitors Bureau provided them with meal vouchers and refunds. Damages from Mawar to businesses were estimated to be
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
111.8 million, The Guam Memorial Hospital's reported damages were at least US$12 million, and The Port Authority of Guam has estimated US$8.2 million in damages, excluding the assessments of fuel piers. A prison in Guam sustained US$2 million.
President
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
declared Guam a major disaster area on May 27, enabling the distribution of federal funds. A total of 150
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...
(FEMA) personnel were on the island by this point. Guam Delegate
James Moylan
James Camacho Moylan (born July 18, 1962) is an American politician and United States Army, Army veteran serving as the Non-voting members of the United States House of Representatives, delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for Guam's a ...
penned a request to FEMA for the distribution of supplies from a warehouse containing over 1 million units of water and 900,000 meals. The Port of Guam reopened on May 28, with three United States Coast Guard
Sentinel-class cutter
The Sentinel-class cutter, also known as the Fast Response Cutter or FRC due to its program name, is part of the United States Coast Guard's Deepwater program. At , it is similar to, but larger than, the lengthened 1980s-era s that it replaces. ...
HC-130 Hercules
The Lockheed HC-130 is an extended-range, search and rescue (SAR)/combat search and rescue (CSAR) version of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, with two different versions operated by two separate service ...
aircraft was sent from
Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point
Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point is an air station of the United States Coast Guard located approximately 13½ miles west of Honolulu, at the Kalaeloa Airport, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Initially the Coast Guard established a base ...
in Hawaii with supplies. Gas station lines reached long at times as residents flocked to refuel their cars. Supplies of fuel were available but distribution was hampered by damaged fuel piers at the Port of Guam. The Guam Police Department coordinated with fuel companies to escort fuel trucks to gas stations. The Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport opened one runway on May 28 to allow cargo planes carrying supplies and personnel to land. On May 30, more than 180 trained Red Cross disaster workers from all over the United States are on the islands, distributing relief supplies, supporting feeding efforts in community-run shelters, and assessing residential damage to help and support people affected by Mawar.
During the passage of Mawar, it had damaged a
NEXRAD
NEXRAD or Nexrad (Next-Generation Radar) is a network of 159 high-resolution S-band pulse-Doppler radar, Doppler weather radars operated by the National Weather Service (NWS), an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ...
site in Barrigada. Initially being restored back into operation, the installment had suffered ongoing issues and as of April 24, 2024, NOTAMS reported it as "unserviceable".
Northern Mariana Islands
North of Guam, Rota suffered some damage from the storm. Trees and debris littered roadways and many residents were left without power. By May 27, only 21 people remained in shelters and were allowed to return home that day. The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation reported water service was restored by May 27. The company also offered to all residents while still advising them to boil water. Roadways were cleared within a few days of the storm. The local chapter of the Red Cross planned to distribute emergency supplies. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office and the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...
(FEMA) flew in to Rota conduct damage assessments on May 27.
Elsewhere
In the Philippines, Mawar caused a warehouse to collapse which is the only reported damage, there was one person who suffered a minor injury was reported. The NDRRMC reported 104,305 affected people. In addition, 11 houses were destroyed and 91 others were damaged. A storm surge caused by Mawar destroyed parts of the coastal town of
Baler, Aurora
Baler (, , , ; ), officially the Municipality of Baler (; ), is a municipality and capital of the province of Aurora, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 43,785 people.
History
Spanish colonial period
In 16 ...
, causing some residents to lose their homes. Mawar caused power outages in parts of
Cagayan
Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan (; ; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Cagayan''; ivatan language, Ivatan: ''Provinsiya nu Cagayan''; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Cag ...
. Over 40 nipa huts from the Aeta village in
San Luis, Aurora
San Luis, officially the Municipality of San Luis (; ), is a municipality in the province of Aurora, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 29,824 people.
History
Between 1818 and 1902, the Province of Aurora, then ...
, were destroyed by the strong winds. Some tourists are stranded on the island of
Batanes
Batanes, officially the Province of Batanes (; Ilocano: ''Probinsia ti Batanes''; , ), is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley region. It is the northernmost province in the Philippines, an ...
. A man died from a lightning strike on May 31 while fishing off the coast of
Nabas, Aklan
Nabas, officially the Municipality of Nabas ( Aklanon: ''Banwa it Nabas''; Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Nabas''; ), is a municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. Nabas serves as the arrival gateway of Boracay Airport. According to the 2 ...
. Agricultural damages are estimated by the NDRRMC at ₱, with infrastructural damages estimated at ₱. In total, the NDRRMC estimates at least ₱ (US$) in damages.
In Taiwan, A 13-year-old boy was found dead, and a 12-year-old girl and a 25-year-old man were swept out to sea. The man made it back to land while the 12-year-old is still missing. 330 travelers were stranded on Green Island and 478 on
Orchid Island
Orchid Island, known as Pongso no Tao by the indigenous inhabitants, is a volcanic island located off the southeastern coast of Taiwan, the island and the nearby are governed by Taiwan as in Taitung County, which is one of the county's two ...
, according to the MOTC. Several rivers were near the tops of their banks by mid-afternoon, and flooding was reported in
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Pref ...
. A total of 8,900 homes experienced power outages.
In Okinawa's southern prefecture, one person suffered a serious injury and seven others were injured. Mawar killed two people and left four people missing. At least nine people were hospitalized with storm-related injuries in the southern prefecture of Okinawa on June 2.
See also
*
Weather of 2023
The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2023. The year saw a transition from La Niña to El Niño, with record high global average surface temperatures. There were several natural disasters around the world f ...
*
Tropical cyclones in 2023
During 2023, tropical cyclones formed in seven major bodies of water, commonly known as tropical cyclone basins. They were named by various weather agencies when they attained maximum sustained winds of . Throughout the year, a total of 115 sys ...
Typhoon Karen
Typhoon Karen was the most powerful tropical cyclone to strike the island of Guam, and has been regarded as one of the most destructive events in the island's history. It was first identified as a tropical disturbance on November 6, 1962, ...
(1962) – the most powerful typhoon to strike Guam on record
* Typhoon Pamela (1976) – an intense, May typhoon that struck Guam
*
Typhoon Tip
Typhoon Tip, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Warling, was the largest and most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded. The forty-third tropical depression, nineteenth tropical storm, twelfth typhoon, and third super typhoon of the 1 ...
(1979) – the largest and most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded; took a similar track to Mawar
* Typhoon Omar (1992) – another powerful typhoon that struck Guam and inflicted widespread damage
* Typhoons Chataan and Pongsona (2002) – two strong typhoons which caused severe damage in the Mariana Islands
* Typhoon Songda (2011) – another powerful May typhoon that passed close to the Philippines
*
Typhoon Noul (2015)
Typhoon Noul (), known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Dodong, was a relatively small but powerful tropical cyclone that affected several areas but caused minor damage in early-May 2015. The sixth named storm and third typhoon of the 2015 P ...
– another powerful May typhoon that passed close to the Philippines
* Typhoons Mangkhut and Yutu (2018) – another pair of typhoons that affected the Marianas, with the latter becoming the most powerful typhoon to strike the archipelago
* Typhoon Surigae (2021) – another early but very powerful typhoon that brushed past the Philippines
United States Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Located in Washington, DC, it was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, appl ...