Mitag upgraded to a typhoon on route to the Philippines
Tropical storm Mitag is continuing to grow in strength and has today been upgraded into a typhoon. Heading towards the Philippines, it is the 24th storm of the northwest Pacific Cyclone Season, and has been packing speeds of 75mph (120km/h). Forecasters expect the typhoon to make landfall in the Bicol peninsula, just south of the country’s capital this weekend, by which time it could have become a super typhoon.
Eastern parts of the Philippines are already feeling the effects of the typhoon, which has been enhancing the monsoon rains over the past few days. Many rivers are now reaching their limits, and officials are becoming increasingly concerned over the potential for landslides. More than 4000 people in the Albay province have now been moved to emergency shelters, with 200,000 more expected to be evacuated by the time the typhoon makes land. It was only last year that the region was left devastated by Typhoon Durian, which caused widespread flooding and landslides that wiped out entire communities.
Mitag is the second storm to threaten the Philippines this week, with tropical storm Hagibis brining heavy rainfall and strong winds to the island on Tuesday. Typhoons frequently make land in the Philippines during summer in the northern hemisphere, with Mitag becoming the third one in just over a month.
