The powerful typhoon Noul is intensifying with wind speeds of up to 185 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 220 kph.
It reached the northern tip of the Philippines where some 1, 400 people were evacuated to safety from coastal areas. It is forecast to reach the northern Cagayan province, making landfall in Santa Ana.
Forecasters warned of an up to 2-meter-high storm surge in Santa Ana, which also includes Palaui Island, with a population of about 30,000 people.
