Typhoon Yinxing made landfall in the Philippines on Thursday afternoon, bringing dangerous winds and extreme rainfall to Luzon, the nation’s most populous island.
The storm had maximum sustained winds of about 144 miles per hour, or a Category 4 storm, on Thursday at about 2 p.m., shortly before it made landfall on Santa Ana in Luzon, the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said in an advisory. It was moving west northwest, according to the country’s national meteorological service.
More than 160,000 people had been evacuated by Thursday morning, according to the Office of Civil Defense. Officials discouraged travel to the island’s northern islands, which is expected to be battered by the storm, and plans were being put in place to deliver food and fuel in the area in case of shortages. Some schools and workplaces were closed, and dam operators were anticipating heavy rain.
The authorities warned that the typhoon could bring life-threatening storm surges of up to about 10 feet in the next 48 hours, particularly in the low-lying or exposed coastal areas of Batanes, Cagayan, the Babuyan Islands and more. The Philippine Coast Guard was tasked with ensuring that supplies reached isolated communities, particularly in the northern province of Batanes, a remote archipelago.
On Wednesday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said in a statement that he was placing the country on “high alert” and that he had ordered the public works and transportation departments to be ready for road-clearing operations. The government issued flash flood and landslide warnings, and urged residents to evacuate or take shelter.
The typhoon could make landfall again along the coast of northwestern mainland Cagayan on Thursday night, the national weather services said, and there was still a possibility that Yinxing could become a Super Typhoon.
The Philippines is prone to storms and sees an average of 20 a year. In September, Typhoon Krathon hit the country’s northern regions and caused flash flooding. Last month, Tropical Storm Trami killed 80 people and forced half a million residents to evacuate.
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