MANILA, Philippines – A powerful typhoon was heading for a Christmas Day collision with the central Philippines.
The U.S. military’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said Nock-Ten was a super typhoon with winds of up to 240 kph (150 mph) late Christmas Eve local time (1200 GMT), though it was expected to weaken before landfall.
The Philippines’ own weather bureau said the province of Catanduanes was likely to see sustained winds of up to 170 kph (105 mph) by the afternoon as the storm reaches its shores.
That’s equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane in the Atlantic.
The storm was about 280 kilometres (175) east of the city of Virac early Sunday and it was heading to the west-northwest at about 13 kph (8 mph).
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said it would bring storm surge as high as 2.5 metres (8 feet) in parts of the country, along with heavy rains and flooding.
The storm was projected to weaken further over 36 hours as it passes over the Manila area.
