The first super typhoon of the season, Sinlaku, has formed early over the Northwest Pacific, signalling an unusual start to the cyclone season.

The storm is currently located over open waters, northwest of Saipan, and is moving slowly north-northwestward.

It had earlier made landfall over the Northern Mariana Islands with powerful winds reaching up to 225 km/h.

Though currently strong, Sinlaku is expected to weaken gradually as it moves over cooler ocean waters and faces dry air intrusion.

It is likely to reduce to a moderate storm within three days and will not impact any major land areas.