Typhoon Sinlaku will cause significant damage and severe flooding to Guam and the Northern Mariana islands this week.

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The strongest tropical cyclone on the planet this year, Super Typhoon Sinlaku, is closing in on the U.S. Northern Mariana Islands on Monday afternoon. Sinlaku had sustained winds of 175 miles per hour as of the latest update, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. It was moving to the northwest at 8 miles per hour.

Typhoon Sinlaku is expected to bring heavy winds, rain and potential flooding in the western Pacific.

The Mariana Islands and Guam brace for the worst, as Super Typhoon Sinlaku steam rolls toward them. At this point, the storm’s eye could pass very close to—or make landfall on—Tinian and Saipan

Super Typhoon Sinlaku continues to track toward the northern Mariana Islands with winds up to 180 miles per hour, a Category 5 super typhoon, as of Monday morning, with the

Guam, including its U.S. military bases, are battening down for a near miss from Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which barreled through the Western Pacific on target to strike the Northern Mariana Islands. The U.

A tropical cyclone in the western Pacific Ocean may quickly intensify into a major storm before striking Guam early next week

Latest reports show Category 5 Super Typhoon Sinlaku is at about 220 miles southeast of Guam with gusts up to 55 miles per hour, with rain already touching the island.