A powerful typhoon in the western Pacific Ocean is currently making its way towards the Mariana Islands and the U.S. island territory of Guam, and could directly impact Taiwan late next week.

Super Typhoon Bavi is, at the time of writing, located about 650km east of Guam and travelling westward at a speed of approximately 13 km/h, generating maximum sustained winds of about 260 km/h and significant wave heights of around 13.5 metres. The powerful system has developed a small but distinct eye about 30-40km wide, as you can see below.

Image: The photogenic eye of Super Typhoon Bavi, as seen from the Himawari-9 satellite this afternoon, Saturday, July 4, 2026. Source: Weatherzone.

As powerful as this system currently is, there are signs it could intensify further before crossing the Mariana Islands in the early morning of Monday, July 6. At this stage, its most likely point of impact will be somewhere between Guam and the island of Saipan, generating sustained winds of 275 km/h, gusts of up to 325 km/h, and rainfall accumulations of 300-500mm, mainly falling within a 12-hour window between 4am and 4pm on Monday.

Image: ECMWF and GFS forecasts for (top) mean sea level pressure and 24-hour rainfall accumulations and (bottom) sustained winds near Guam and the lower Mariana Islands on Monday morning, July 6, 2026. Source: Weatherzone.

From there, Super Typhoon Bavi is currently forecast to barrel towards Taiwan, and could potentially make landfall over the island’s northeast in the early hours of Saturday, July 11, possibly matching the wind strength and rainfall accumulations currently expected for the Mariana Islands.

Image: ECMWF and GFS forecasts for (top) mean sea level pressure and 24-hour rainfall accumulations and (bottom) sustained winds near Taiwan on Saturday morning, July 11, 2026. Source: Weatherzone.

But with a week to go before Bavi approaches Taiwan, forecasts could change significantly. If you're planning to travel to or be in Taiwan next weekend, keep your eyes peeled for any forecast updates.