Typhoon Melor begins move from Northern Marianas
SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands – A typhoon churning across the western Pacific moved away from the Northern Mariana Islands on Sunday as residents began cleaning up after gusting winds and minor flooding.
With Typhoon Melor clearing the U.S. commonwealth's three main islands, the National Weather Service cancelled the last remaining typhoon warning for the island of Agrihan. Similar warnings for Saipan and Tinian ended earlier Sunday.
About 2 1/2 inches of rain fell on Saipan in a 24-hour period, including two inches of precipitation over six hours, said weather service senior forecaster Paul Stanko in Guam. The strongest wind gusts topped out at 53 mph, he added.
"It could have been a lot worse," Stanko said, adding that the island would have experienced more calamity if it was located 20 to 30 miles further south. "They narrowly dodged a bullet."
Tinian experienced similar rain measurements and wind gusts, Stanko said. However, his office has not received an update from Agrihan.
The eye of the storm traveled directly over the island of Anatahan, which was populated until the 1990s when volcanic activity grew dangerous, Stanko said. A major eruption occurred in 2003.
The Saipan Tribune reported that nearly 550 Saipan residents gathered at seven shelters Saturday afternoon. It said Tinian's one shelter, set up in an elementary school, was empty.
No major injuries or significant structural damage were reported on Saipan, according to the Tribune.
The governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Benigno R. Fitial, has canceled emergency conditions for Saipan and Tinian, according to a statement from the commonwealth's emergency management office. Agrihan, though, remains under the emergency directive.
Melor was located 185 miles northwest of Saipan and Tinian, moving west at 17 mph, as of early Sunday. Maximum sustained winds are 130 mph.
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With Typhoon Melor clearing the U.S. commonwealth's three main islands, the National Weather Service cancelled the last remaining typhoon warning for the island of Agrihan. Similar warnings for Saipan and Tinian ended earlier Sunday.
About 2 1/2 inches of rain fell on Saipan in a 24-hour period, including two inches of precipitation over six hours, said weather service senior forecaster Paul Stanko in Guam. The strongest wind gusts topped out at 53 mph, he added.
"It could have been a lot worse," Stanko said, adding that the island would have experienced more calamity if it was located 20 to 30 miles further south. "They narrowly dodged a bullet."
Tinian experienced similar rain measurements and wind gusts, Stanko said. However, his office has not received an update from Agrihan.
The eye of the storm traveled directly over the island of Anatahan, which was populated until the 1990s when volcanic activity grew dangerous, Stanko said. A major eruption occurred in 2003.
The Saipan Tribune reported that nearly 550 Saipan residents gathered at seven shelters Saturday afternoon. It said Tinian's one shelter, set up in an elementary school, was empty.
No major injuries or significant structural damage were reported on Saipan, according to the Tribune.
The governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Benigno R. Fitial, has canceled emergency conditions for Saipan and Tinian, according to a statement from the commonwealth's emergency management office. Agrihan, though, remains under the emergency directive.
Melor was located 185 miles northwest of Saipan and Tinian, moving west at 17 mph, as of early Sunday. Maximum sustained winds are 130 mph.
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