[Korea Meteorological Administration]
[Korea Meteorological Administration]

Typhoon Bavi, the ninth named storm of the season, is tracking northwest through waters near Guam, maintaining extremely powerful intensity as it heads toward seas south of Japan's Okinawa. Forecasters warn that even if the storm does not make a direct approach toward the Korean Peninsula, the large amounts of moisture it is drawing northward could interact with the monsoon front and affect rainfall across the region.

As of 3 a.m. Sunday, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Bavi was located about 150 kilometers east-northeast of Guam, moving west-northwest at 18 kilometers per hour. The storm was sustaining a central pressure of 905 hectopascals, maximum wind speeds of 58 meters per second and gale-force winds extending 460 kilometers from its center — placing it at Category 5 intensity.

The agency forecast the typhoon would reach waters about 190 kilometers northwest of Guam by Sunday afternoon, then push to roughly 460 kilometers west-northwest of the island by Monday morning and about 740 kilometers west-northwest by Monday afternoon.

Bavi is expected to continue its northwest track, reaching seas about 1,040 kilometers west-northwest of Guam on Tuesday before entering waters roughly 1,200 kilometers southeast of Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday.

By 3 a.m. Wednesday, the KMA projected the storm would still be packing a central pressure of 910 hPa and maximum sustained winds of 56 meters per second (202 kilometers per hour), with gale-force winds spanning a 500-kilometer radius, as it advances toward seas southeast of Taipei.

Bavi, which formed east of Guam, is expected to push into waters far south of Okinawa by midweek. The KMA said that even without a direct hit on the Korean Peninsula, the large volumes of moisture and rain clouds the typhoon is pulling northward could influence the monsoon front. The agency added that the character of the monsoon season could shift depending on how the storm's track and intensity evolve.

Meanwhile, the entire country has come under the full influence of the monsoon, with up to 60 millimeters of rain forecast for Sunday across Seoul, the greater metropolitan area and the Chungcheong and Jeolla regions. The monsoon rains are expected to persist through the latter part of this week, with high humidity keeping conditions muggy throughout.

The KMA cautioned that even small shifts in the typhoon's track could significantly alter rainfall totals and affected areas, urging the public to check the latest weather updates frequently. The agency particularly warned that the simultaneous influence of the monsoon front and the typhoon raises the risk of localized heavy downpours, calling for close attention to facility management and safety hazards.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com