Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Super Typhoon Sinlaku
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Sinlaku Map showing the path of Super Typhoon Sinlaku in the Western Pacific Ocean from April 9 to 20, 2026. The storm's track is color-coded to indicate its progression from tropical storm to typhoon to super typhoon, with key points marked for changes in intensity and landfalls near Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Quick Facts
Date:
April 2026
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
print Print
Please select which sections you would like to print:
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Sinlaku
Sinlaku Super Typhoon Sinlaku was one of just a few category 5 typhoons to develop during the first months of the year. The system intensified to become a category 5 storm on April 12, 2026.

Super Typhoon Sinlaku

storm [2026]
Written by
John P. Rafferty
John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. He serves currently as the editor of Earth and life sciences, covering climatology, geology, zoology, and other topics that relate to...
John P. Rafferty
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Super Typhoon Sinlaku, powerful tropical cyclone in the western Pacific Ocean that cut across the islands of Tinian and Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands and brought high winds and heavy rain to Guam and Rota in April 2026. At its peak, Sinlaku produced maximum sustained winds of 185 miles (297.7 km) per hour and a minimum central pressure of 896 millibars, making it one of the few category 5 storms to form between January and April and the second strongest Pacific typhoon, after Super Typhoon Hester in 1953, to form so early in the year. The eye of the typhoon came ashore on Tinian and Saipan on April 15 as a category 4 storm. Sinlaku takes its name from the goddess of nature and breadfruit on the island of Kosrae, which is located in the Federated States of Micronesia.

Development

Map showing the path of Super Typhoon Sinlaku in the Western Pacific Ocean from April 9 to 20, 2026. The storm's track is color-coded to indicate its progression from tropical storm to typhoon to super typhoon, with key points marked for changes in intensity and landfalls near Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which crossed the western Pacific Ocean in April 2026, struck the Northern Mariana Islands on April 15, with winds measured at 145 miles (233.4 km) per hour.The tropical cyclone's winds peaked at 185 miles (297.7 km) two days earlier over the open ocean.

The system that would become Super Typhoon Sinlaku began as a tropical depression (a loosely organized group of thunderstorms) on April 8, north of the Chuuk Islands in Micronesia. It became a tropical storm with winds of 40 miles (64.3 km) per hour at 4:00 AM Chamorro Standard Time (ChST) on April 10. Shortly thereafter the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) named the storm and noted its location at roughly 550 miles (about 885 km) southeast of Guam. The storm hovered in place until the early morning of April 11, before settling on a northwesterly track over the next several days.

Sinlaku grew into a category 1 typhoon with winds of 85 miles (136.8 km) per hour by 2:00 pm ChST on April 11. Two hours later, the storm’s winds had increased slightly to 90 miles (144.8 km) per hour. During the course of the next 24 hours, however, Sinlaku passed over a patch of the Pacific Ocean with sea surface temperatures of 82–84 °F (28–29 °C) and intensified rapidly to become a category 4 typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles (241.4 km) per hour. According to the JTWC, Sinlaku continued to strengthen during the morning of April 13, with winds building to 185 miles (297.7 km) per hour. By the evening of April 14, the storm remained on track to deal a devastating blow to Saipan and Tinian. Its winds, however, had fallen to 145 miles (233.4 km) per hour, and the storm had declined to category 4 strength.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Landfall

Sinlaku made landfall on Tinian and Saipan just after midnight local time with winds of 145 miles per hour after lingering for hours some 30 miles (48.3 km) offshore. As Sinlaku’s eye wall traveled slowly over the islands, the storm’s winds fell only slightly, and they were still strong enough to uproot trees and flatten unreinforced structures, as rain and storm surge flooded some low-lying areas. On Rota and Guam, which were covered by Sinlaku’s weaker middle and outer rain bands, the storm’s effects were not as severe

By 4:00 am ChST on April 15, the center of the 400-mile- (643.7-km-) wide storm had moved only a few miles northwest of Tinian and Saipan, and it was still large enough to cover the entirety of the Northern Marianas as a category 4 typhoon. By the early morning hours of April 16, it had moved some 145 miles northwest of Saipan, weakening to category-3 strength with winds of 125 miles (201.2 km) per hour. By April 18, the storm’s intensity had diminished to category-1 strength as it ventured further into the North Pacific Ocean, tracking into a northeasterly direction away from inhabited areas.

Aftermath

Although the storm produced no deaths, Sinlaku left thousands of residents without electricity on Saipan and Tinian, after winds knocked down power poles. The winds also upended vehicles and pulled the tin roofs off of buildings. In addition, some parts of the islands were flooded by a combination of heavy rains and storm surge. The airport at Saipan reported a single-day total of nearly 6 inches (15.2 cm) on April 14, whereas Guam International Airport received 9 inches (22.9 cm) of rain in total from the storm.

John P. Rafferty