Philippines to be hit by Tropical Storm Halong
Northern parts of the Philippines have been battening down the hatches as tropical storm Halong races towards the country.
Halong gained strength in the South China Sea and became a category one storm, the weakest on the scale, as it neared the north of the Philippines. Through the early hours of this morning, Halong was 80 miles (130 kilometres) west of Iba on the main northern island of Luzon. Moving northeast at 12mph (19km/h), Halong is expected to bring torrential rain and winds of up to 80mph (129km/h) to the west coast of Luzon.
Forecasters are warning of a strong storm surge around northern coasts and expect widespread flooding of low-lying areas later today and into tomorrow when Halong makes landfall. Heavy rain is expected across the country’s capital, Manilla.
Halong could greatly exacerbate the flood problems already affecting parts of the Philippines since heavy rain has been lashing the country for nearly a week. In central and southern parts of the country, widespread flooding has already forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.
Once the storm leaves the Philippines, forecasters expect it to stay on a northeasterly track which will take it up to Japan by next Tuesday or Wednesday.
