HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A few days have passed since Typhoon Bolaven departed the Marianas, but the weather hasn’t been letting up. Residents up and out early Friday morning would have done well to bring along an umbrella or raincoat, as heavy rains poured over the island.
According to Landon Aydlett, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service Guam Forecast Office, Guam is under a “monsoon tail” extending southward and southwestward from Bolaven.
“I’ve gotten several questions, ‘Is there another storm coming?’ or ‘Is it something to be worried about?’ That is not the case. This is not another storm,” Aydlett said.
The monsoon tail may begin pulling away toward the east Saturday, he said, and that just might grant a little more sunshine for Guam.
“(Saturday) it looks like it should be improving with a little bit more sunshine. Still a lot of clouds, but not quite the rainfall deluge that we’ve had (Friday) morning,” Aydlett told The Guam Daily Post on Friday.
2 months left for typhoon season
Bolaven passed between Rota and Tinian overnight on Tuesday. While it’s closest point of approach to the island was about 50 miles away, the typhoon brought strong winds and significant rain to Guam.
However, in contrast to Typhoon Mawar, the Category 4 storm that battered Guam in late May, the island largely emerged unscathed from Bolaven.
While the current weather isn’t an indication of any immediate upcoming storms, Aydlett said, it is possible that Guam will see more storms before the end of the year.
“We’re still in peak season right now in the month of October. It’s definitely not out of the question that we could see some more (storms),” Aydlett said.
“I see a lot of plywood on windows. If people want to take the plywood down, that’s perfectly fine. But don’t toss it away … because we have two solid months of typhoon season left in this region,” he added.
A high surf advisory for Guam and a small craft advisory for the coastal waters of Guam, Rota and Tinian were issued and are still in effect. These advisories were expected to end by Thursday evening, but, according to Aydlett, they were extended based on ongoing conditions at the Philippine Sea and updated model guidance from wave models.
“For weekend plans, play it safe. … If you’re along Tumon Bay from the Hilton on toward the Westin, you’ll be mostly fine. But once you get up around the areas near Nikko, Gun Beach, it gets a little bit more treacherous,” Aydlett said.
Cars drive through pools of rain that had formed along Route 1 in Hagåtña on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. Jonah Benavente/The Guam Daily Post
