Here We Go Again... Super Typhoon Maysak Swirls in the Overheated Pacific Ocean — And it Just Set a Record

An animation of infrared satellite imagery shows Super Typhoon Maysak swirling in the Pacific Ocean. The storm's forecast track is superimposed. (Source: Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies) Micronesia's Caroline Islands have been taking a beating today from Category 5 Super Typhoon Maysak. As of 2 p.m. today EDT (morning on Wednesday in Micronesia), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center pegged Maysak's strongest sustained winds at 160 miles per hour, with gusts to 195 mph. This makes Maysak "one of only three Category 5 storms ever observed in the Northwestern Pacific prior to April," according to Jeff Masters of Weather Underground. Also, Maysak's development has caused two records to fall, Masters says: