Residents of Guam and surrounding U.S. island territories in the western Pacific have been urged to take shelter as Super Typhoon Bavi is expected to make landfall early Monday. This storm poses a serious threat to an area still recovering from a destructive cyclone earlier this year.

Bavi, a massive cyclone, is approaching the Mariana Islands east of the Philippines. It is forecast to strike Rota early Monday morning local time, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Edwin Montvila.

“They are currently already encountering catastrophic wind,” Montvila said, referring to Rota, a territory of fewer than 2,000 people northeast of Guam. An extreme wind warning is in effect for the island.

The cyclone is predicted to be a category five super typhoon with winds that might reach 180 miles per hour and gusts of 215 miles per hour.

In addition to Rota, typhoon warnings are in effect for Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. Tropical storm warnings and watches apply to other islands in the area.

This event comes months after Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which was the strongest tropical cyclone this year, struck the region in April, bringing intense winds and relentless rain. A cyclone is classified as a super typhoon when it has maximum sustained winds of 150 mph or stronger.

Montvila warned that Bavi poses an “imminent danger to life.” The weather service is advising residents across the islands to immediately move to interior rooms for shelter and stay away from windows.

“Entering outside can result in death from flying projectiles. Utility poles and associated power lines will be down,” Montvila said. “All those would pose a risk to life, so we recommend people to not venture out and hunker down.”

Bavi was moving at a relatively fast pace Monday morning, giving officials hope that it would pass quickly. However, given the storm’s size, the islands could still experience tropical storm conditions, including torrential rain, through at least Monday night.

The typhoon displayed erratic behavior overnight into Monday morning, wavering north and south as it moved west toward the islands.

Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero has urged people to stay home or at a shelter and avoid the roads.

“Here we are experiencing another severe force of winds on our island, but as we know, we are always ready and prepared in our planning and our protection of our people,” she stated in a video posted on social media Sunday.