Typhoon Nari has gained strength as it sweeps towards the Philippines, prompting warnings of more brutal weather for tens of millions of people living in and around the flood-prone capital.
Nari forced US Secretary of State John Kerry to cancel a visit to Manila on Thursday. Weather forecasters said on Friday it had since been upgraded from a tropical storm to a typhoon as its wind gusts had increased to 160 kilometres an hour.
Nari was expected to hit farming regions on the east coast of the main island of Luzon late on Friday night, with "heavy to intense" rain forecast across its 500-kilometre-wide footprint, the state weather service said.
Manila is about 135 kilometres south of where the eye of the storm is expected to make landfall, and government weather forecaster Bernie Belen said the capital would likely again endure floods.
"Even without a storm, heavy rains can cause floods in Manila. How much more when there is a typhoon?" Belen told AFP.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Heavy rains are expected to persist across much of the main island of Luzon throughout Saturday as Nari travels west, before blowing out into the South China Sea in the evening.
The Philippines is hit by about 20 major storms or typhoons each year that occur mainly between June and October.
