Typhoon Yutu was the strongest typhoon to hit the Northern Marianas in 56 years according to a new study.
Damage caused by Yutu Photo: Mark Rabago
The joint study done by the National Weather Service and the University of Guam said Yutu rivalled Typhoon Karen, which left 95 percent of Guam in ruins in 1962.
The study said that Yutu's maximum wind intensity while crossing Saipan and Tinian was at 273 kilometres per hour, with gusts of up to 321 kph.
Karen flattened Guam in 1962 with maximum sustained winds of 281 kph and gusts of over 320.
Yutu passed directly over the island of Tinian in October.
It left more than 1,000 homes destroyed and killed one woman.
