For people living throughout Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, early July brought another reminder of how quickly conditions can change in the western Pacific. Supercyclone Buffy arrived as an exceptionally powerful storm, passing close to the islands with damaging winds, heavy rains and dangerous coastal flooding. According to NASA, the hurricane reached maximum strength as it passed through the region, becoming the third Category 5 tropical cyclone of 2026.Satellite images taken during the night provided a stunning view of the storm from space. However, behind those images was a weather system that caused real disruption on the ground, damaged infrastructure, and added to the recovery challenges left behind by a previous major hurricane just a few months ago.
NASA’s VIIRS instrument reveals a stunning view of Super Typhoon Bavi
One of the most bizarre sightings of Buffy came from a NASA-backed satellite observation captured shortly after midnight on July 6 local time.
The image showed the eye of the storm surrounded by a tightly organized eyewall, with moonlight illuminating part of the tornado from above.According to NASA, the image was collected by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer (VIIRS) array aboard the NOAA-20 satellite. At that time, Buffy was near the peak of her intensity. Several hours later, the eye moved across Rota, one of the islands in the Northern Mariana Islands.The satellite view highlighted how coherent and well-defined the storm was as it moved westward through unusually warm ocean waters.
How El Niño conditions may have fueled the rapid intensification of Super Hurricane Buffy
Buffy intensified over an area where sea surface temperatures reached around 30 degrees Celsius. Warm water acts as fuel for tropical cyclones, providing the energy needed to strengthen thunderstorms around the center of the storm.According to NASA, the hurricane reached supercyclone status on July 4 local time as it moved westward across the Pacific Ocean. By the time the hurricane approached Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, sustained wind speeds reached about 290 kilometers per hour.Meteorologists are closely monitoring the 2026 Pacific season due to developing El Niño conditions. As weather experts cited by NASA have pointed out, storms that form farther east during El Niño years can spend more time over warm waters before heading toward Asia, increasing the possibility of reaching the highest intensity categories.
Super Typhoon Bavi leaves damage and flooding across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands
PC: NASA
While satellite images showed a remarkably organized storm, the communities beneath it faced a harsher reality.
According to NASA, strong winds damaged power lines and poles, while flooding and storm debris affected roads across several islands. Buildings were also damaged, including infrastructure associated with water distribution in Rota.Emergency crews spent days responding to the aftermath of the accident. The U.S. Coast Guard worked to eliminate navigation hazards and help restore access to ports once sea conditions became safer. The recovery efforts came just weeks after residents dealt with Typhoon Sinlaku, another devastating storm that struck the same area in April.
NASA is tracking Super Typhoon Bavi as it approaches Taiwan and southern Japan
By July 8, Buffy remained a massive hurricane although showing signs of gradual weakening. Satellite images published by NASA showed the storm moving west across the Philippine Sea, southeast of Taiwan.At that point, the maximum wind speed was still estimated at around 250 kilometers per hour. Forecasts indicate that the typhoon may begin to curve toward the northwest, which could affect Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands in southern Japan, and parts of mainland China.Although the hurricane was expected to weaken over the following days, Buffy remained a powerful system capable of producing damaging weather far from the islands where it first made headlines. As forecasters continue to track its path, the storm has emerged as one of the strongest tropical cyclones observed anywhere in the world during 2026.
