The storm, known locally as Super Typhoon Carding, reached super typhoon status early Sunday morning local time in the Philippines after suddenly intensifying.
“The highest emergency preparedness and response protocol has been activated in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol District,” said the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.
She urged the public to be vigilant, adding that strong winds are expected within the next 18 hours
The typhoon is expected to make landfall in the northern part of Quezon or the southern part of Aurora in the evening, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in an hourly live TV bulletin.
She did not rule out an earlier landing in the Bolillo Islands in the afternoon.
Schools in multiple cities including Muntinlupa and Aurora have suspended classes for Monday, September 26, due to the approaching storm.
According to CNN Weather, Nauru now has winds equivalent to a Category 5 US hurricane.
It’s expected to bring big waves and storms, heavy rain, and winds in excess of 200 kph (124 mph) to Luzon over the next 24 hours.
PAGASA has issued a Level 4 warning signal for the Beaulieu Islands in anticipation of significant damage that could be caused by the storm.
The warning comes after the storm intensified rapidly in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The Joint Hurricane Warning Center said it strengthened the hurricane’s strength from 140 kilometers per hour (85 miles per hour) to 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour) in just six hours.
PAGASA has also issued Level 2 and Level 3 warnings for most of Luzon, including Metro Manila.
Tropical Storm Talas kills two in Japan
The Shizuoka prefectural government reports that one person is missing after his car fell into a river.
The prefecture saw its heaviest daily rainfall ever, including a record 416.5 mm (more than 16 inches) of rain in Suruga-ku, Shizuoka City, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
During the rains, the county urged 1,200,000 families – about 3 million people – to evacuate.
More than a thousand homes and a large number of roads in the county were inundated with floods, she added, adding that many bridges have collapsed.