National Weather Service forecasters are watching Typhoon In-fa, located about 1,200 miles east of Guam, which is expected to pass through the Northern Islands as a major typhoon on Friday.
On Monday afternoon, forecasters said In-Fa could be undergoing a period of rapid intensification.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center put the storm’s closest point of approach to Saipan at 150 miles, which was still within the cone of uncertainty.
Officials advised people in the CNMI not to let their guard down, because any shift to the south over the coming days could bring strong winds and heavy rain closer to Saipan and Tinian.