Meteorologists in Guam say a potentially dangerous typhoon is inching closer to the Micronesian islands including the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas.
Typhoon Melor began as a tropical storm in a monsoon trough west of Kwajalein and north of Kosrae before it developed into a powerful typhoon and headed towards Saipan in the CNMI.
A meteorologist intern from the National Weather Service in Guam, Derek Williams says Typhoon Melor is now stronger than previously thought and poses a great risk.
"On its current forecast track we have it going in the somewhere in the Northern Marianas Islands so most likely Tinian, Saipan and there's a few sparsely populated islands north of there, which they could potentially very damaging winds."
Derek Williams says Typhoon Melor's winds are raging at more than 200 kilometres per hour and are almost at super typhoon strength (150 miles per hour) but expects it to dwindle by Sunday morning.