Super Typhoon Yutu, which struck the Northern Mariana Islands as the strongest tropical cyclone to hit U.S. soil since 1935, appears headed for a second significant landfall — this time in the northern Philippines.
The big picture: Super Typhoon Yutu continues to push westward, and has turned into a larger, more sprawling system with estimated maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour. This puts it back to Category 5 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It's forecast to intensify further, to a 165-mph monster, during the next 24 hours, before slowly weakening.
Super Typhoon Yutu hit the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on Thursday as the strongest storm to hit U.S. soil since 1935, leaving devastating damage in its wake.
Why it matters: Per Axios' Andrew Freedman: With maximum sustained winds of 180 mph when it hit Tinian, Saipan and Rota, Super Typhoon Yutu was tied for the strongest storm seen on Earth in 2018. It was the latest in a string of major hurricanes to hit the U.S. in recent years, including 3 major hurricanes in 2017 and Hurricane Michael so far this year.
