Super Typhoon Sinlaku, Earth's Strongest Tropical Cyclone Of 2026, Hammered Saipan, Tinian, Guam

Typhoon Smashes Cars, Rips Apart Buildings

Super Typhoon Sinlaku slammed the U.S. Northern Marianas and Guam in the western Pacific Ocean with high winds, storm surge and rainfall flooding as the planet's strongest tropical cyclone of 2026, so far. It was the second of twin Pacific tropical cyclones that could thrust forward the formation of El Niño.

Sinlaku's eye moved over the islands of Saipan and Tinian in the U.S. Northern Mariana Islands on the night of April 14 packing estimated maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, according to the National Weather Service.

This was the strongest typhoon to strike so close to Saipan and Tinian since Category 5 Super Typhoon Yutu did so in late October 2018.

(NEWS: Sinlaku's Impacts)

As it drew closer to the islands, Sinlaku developed a second outer eyewall, which lashed the islands with high winds and torrential rain.

This eyewall replacement also made Sinklaku's size of high winds larger, something we see at least once, if not multiple times, with intense tropical cyclones.

(MET 101: What Is An Eyewall Replacement Cycle?)

Sinlaku also slowed its forward speed to around 5 mph, prolonging its impacts not only in Saipan and Tinian, but also in neighboring Rota and Guam to the south.

Saipan International Airport recorded occasional gusts over 100 mph for over 9 hours, with a peak gust of 130 mph before the station stopped reporting data. Farther south, Guam International Airport clocked a peak gust of 88 mph and measured occasional gusts over 50 mph for over 48 straight hours from April 13-15.

Utility lines were reported downed and 1 foot deep water was reported in Guam by the National Weather Service. Flooding up to several feet deep was reported in Saipan.

Parts of Saipan and Guam have picked up 5 to 16 inches of rain from Sinlaku.

Saipan International Airport saw 5.73 inches of rainfall on April 14, which is a top 10 wettest day on record. Guam International Airport measured over 9 inches of rain.

One Of Strongest So Early

Sinlaku became the planet's strongest tropical cyclone so far in 2026 after it rapidly intensified from Category 1 to super typhoon (at least 150 mph) status.

But it didn't stop there.

Sinlaku reached its peak estimated intensity of 185 mph maximum sustained winds and a pressure of 890 millibars, roughly the peak intensity of Hurricane Melissa last October (190 mph; 892 millibars).

According to hurricane expert Dr. Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections, Sinlaku tied for the second strongest January through April typhoon on record by wind speed with Super Typhoon Hester in 1953, behind only Super Typhoon Surigae in mid-April 2021.

While Northwest Pacific typhoons can happen any time of year, most typhoons typically happen from July through November.

Twin Cyclones

This phenomenon is unheard of in the Atlantic, but is much more common in the western Pacific and Indian oceans, which host favorable conditions for tropical systems both north and south of the equator. In the South Atlantic, tropical systems don’t form close to the equator, and form rarely at all in that basin. In the Pacific, twins can form as often as two to three times a year.

Maila formed at the beginning of the month in a tantrum of stubbornness in the Solomon Sea. The cyclone never really moved over much during its lifespan, but did become a rare Category 4 storm for the Solomon Sea. For several days, the storm’s forecast cone of uncertainty was more like a giant circle since the storm only moved tens of miles. Just try to figure out this track.

Weather explained: The term tropical cyclone is used in many of our stories as a generic, all-encompassing term for tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. But in some parts of the world, the term is used in place of hurricane or typhoon.

They form when a burst of wind and moisture moving eastward at low latitudes is split in half by the equator. The resulting storms were briefly mirror images of each other and spun in opposite directions.

The Coriolis effect is the main reason that the two tropical cyclones rotated differently. In the Northern Hemisphere, storms will spin counterclockwise, while they spin clockwise south of the equator.

(Weather Words: The Coriolis Effect)

The two systems generally drift away from the equator during their lifetime, but can remain connected by tendrils of moisture for several days.

El Niño Impacts

Indirectly and with a significant delay, these two cyclones could have impacts around the world by this summer, long after they’ve dissipated.

The wind burst that helped them form and the additional eastward flow created by the twins will likely help intensify this year’s expected El Niño.

These strong winds will push warm water located between Hawaii and New Guinea eastward toward South America, helping to trigger El Niño's formation later this year.

(MORE: Super El Niño Possible | How That Could Affect Tracks)

Once this process begins, it becomes difficult to stop. When the eastern Pacific is engulfed in warmer water, thunderstorms begin to form, which tends to pull in more wind from Oceania. This spurs more thunderstorm activity and so the loop begins. This is called the Bjerknes feedback loop.

(MORE: What Super El Niño Means For Atlantic Hurricane Season)

Before the 1997-98 El Niño, typhoons Ivan and Joan in the Northern Hemisphere and Tropical Cyclone Lusi helped enhance a westerly wind burst, and thus are credited with enhancing the strength of the El Niño that year.

Similarly, in 2015, Cyclone Pam and Tropical Storm Bavi are credited with enhancing the strength of the super El Niño that year.

Jonathan Belles has been a digital meteorologist for weather.com for 9 years. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.