Spring Break just started on Friday and now a tropical storm is intensifying into a typhoon in our area. Guam residents are always prepared for the worst, but I hate these storms because they can knock out power and internet services for weeks. I just wanted to update everyone who regularly reads this blog that if there are any lack of updates, its more than likely due to this storm approaching. Hopefully it will miss us and we’ll just get the tail of the storm instead of take a direct hit.

Damaging winds due to Tropical Storm Kong-Rey are possible in the Marianas beginning Monday night, with stronger winds reaching typhoon intensity along the track of the storm. National Weather Service meteorologist Chip Guard told KUAM News, “This is our best guest of what’s going to happen: We expect the damaging winds of 40 miles per hour to arrive about 7pm Monday and then the destructive winds that can blow your roof - especially tin roofs through the air - about 1am Tuesday. From 4am-9am Tuesday possible typhoon-force winds may arrive. The damaging winds that arrive tomorrow night may last about twenty-four hours. The destructive winds that arrive at 1am will last about twelve hours.”

NWS officials say the center of storm is heading more towards Rota, Guam is not in the clear as the typhoon stretches a few hundreds of miles across. Guard says typhoons can move twenty to thirty miles in one direction or the other. He said, “If the direction were to change just a few degrees closer to Guam, like to shift to the northwest, we can get the core of the storm over the northern end of the island. So we have to plan for a typhoon.” Other storm affects include heavy rains of up to 6-8″ may result in local flooding in low-lying areas.