Projected path of Typhoon Yutu as it moves westward en route to a direct strike on the northern Philippines, 28 October 2018. Graphic: The Weather Channel

28 October 2018 (The Weather Channel) – Typhoon Yutu has weakened but remains a powerful Category 3 storm as it moves westward en route to a direct strike on the northern Philippines.
Yutu is expected to continue weakening as it moves westward toward the Philippines but should still be a potent Category 2 or 3 equivalent typhoon when it nears land early Tuesday (Monday EDT), local time.
Yutu is known as Rosita in the Philippines.
Destructive winds will likely spread through the northern Philippines as Yutu moves through on Tuesday. Heavy rain could also cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides. […]Yutu is the strongest super typhoon to pass near Saipan and Tinian in NOAA’s historical database.Yutu left behind major damage in Saipan and Tinian in what is being called the worst case scenario for the islands. [more]

Typhoon Yutu (Rosita) Expected to Make Direct Strike on Northern Philippines
On the island of Saipain, a damaged home and a large tree snapped in half by Typhoon Yutu, 24 October 2018. Photo: MaggieAnn670 / Twitter

By Bob Henson
25 October 2018
(Weather Underground) – Widespread devastation came to light on Thursday after the overnight rampage from Super Typhoon Yutu, which struck the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands as a Category 5 storm with 180 mph winds. Yutu passed directly over the island of Tinian (population about 3100 as of 2010), putting the largest of the islands, Saipan (population about 48,000), on the storm’s fierce northern side. Yutu’s 180-mph winds put it in a tie with Super Typhoon Mangkhut as the strongest storm on Earth so far this year. Yutu made landfall at an intensity rarely observed; only four tropical cyclones in world recorded history have hit land with winds stronger than 180 mph.

Earth's strongest tropical cyclones at landfall, 1935-2018. The strongest tropical cyclones at landfall in world history, according to data from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). Ominously, 7 of the 10 strongest landfalls in recorded history have occurred since 2006, so we've been updating this graphic far more frequently than we’d like to in recent years! Yutu’s landfall with 180 mph sustained winds on Tinian in the U.S. Northern Mariana Islands is tied as the fifth strongest landfall ever recorded globally. The only stronger landfall in the U.S. or its territories was the 1935 Labor Day hurricane in the Florida Keys, with 185 mph winds. Note that NHC supplies specific landfall intensity data, while the JTWC does not. Thus, the JTWC landfall intensities above are from the last 6-hourly position point of the tropical cyclone before landfall. Graphic: Weather Underground

One death has been reported by the territorial governor’s office: a woman who sought refuge on Saipan in an abandoned building. Little has been heard from Tinian and nearby Rota, according to Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, who represents the U.S. territory in Congress. Tinian’s mayor, Joey Patrick San Nicolas, told Reuters: “Many homes have been destroyed, our critical infrastructure has been compromised, we currently have no power and water at this time and our ports are inaccessible … We probably won’t have power for months.” San Nicolas added that it took four months to restore power after Typhoon Soudelor in 2015. That typhoon officially struck the south end of Saipan Island as an intensifying Category 2 storm but may have been as strong as Category 4 by that point.See weather.com for frequent updates on Yutu’s damage in the Northern Marianas Islands. [more]

Saipan Ravaged by Yutu: Photos and a First-Hand Account