Ompong to make landfall earlier than expected: PAGASA

MANILA - Typhoon Ompong was forecast to make landfall in the Cagayan-Isabela area earlier than expected as it gained a speed of 30 kilometers per hour (kph), state weather bureau PAGASA said Friday.

Ompong will make landfall between 1 a.m. to 3 a.m Saturday instead of 4 a.m. as earlier predicted, according to PAGASA weather specialist Lorie Dela Cruz.

The typhoon, the strongest yet to hit the Philippines this year, was moving northwest at 30 kph as of 8 p.m., picking up from its speed of 25 kph on Friday afternoon.

Four areas, meanwhile, have been placed under signal number 4, the second highest tropical cyclone warning signal, as Ompong neared landfall on Friday night. Read more at ABS CBN NEWS.

Typhoon Ompong

Stunning but scary: Typhoon Ompong as seen from space.
Typhoon Ompong (international name: Mangkhut) is the strongest tropical cylone of the year in terms of its strength. Seasoned weather observers have called it a "beast" of a cyclone with a large diameter enough to cover the major island of Luzon and a portion of central Philippines.

Read more at PHILSTAR.