Strong winds and lashing rain have already battered Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, but within hours a typhoon - equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, the highest on the scale - is expected to hit in full force.
Typhoon Bavi, described as "catastrophic" by the US National Weather Service NWS, has wind gusts of up to 97 metres per second.
The NWS believes that Rota Island, with a population of about 1,500, is particularly vulnerable. The island is the southernmost in the Northern Mariana Islands.
After the weather warnings, there were few cars on the roads on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on Sunday - which together have about 210,000 inhabitants.
The police were driving around and urging people to be careful.
