Super typhoon forecast to hit the Philippines

Doyle Rice, USA TODAY4:47 p.m. EST November 6, 2013

The typhoon has winds of 175 mph and should make landfall Friday.


(Photo: Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The typhoon is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane

  • It may affect the capital city of Manila
  • It is the 28th named storm of the 2013 western Pacific typhoon season


A ferocious typhoon in the western Pacific Ocean is taking aim at the fragile islands of the Philippines.

Super Typhoon Haiyan has top sustained winds of 175 mph, which is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. It is heading northwest toward the Philippines, with landfall likely early Friday local time (Thursday night in the USA).

A typhoon becomes a super typhoon when its winds reach 150 mph, the Weather Channel reported.

Haiyan is probably the most powerful storm on the Earth this year, according to meteorologist Ryan Maue of WeatherBell.

Haiyan should weaken slightly as it moves west, with winds of about 155 mph expected when it hits land. This would make it a strong Category 4 hurricane. (A Category 4 has wind speeds of up to 156 mph, while a Category 5 has winds of at least 157 mph.)

"Rain totals along the path of Haiyan could top 8 inches," said AccuWeather meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski. Mudslides are a serious concern in the higher terrain, she said, where localized totals of 10 to 12 inches are possible.

Super Typhoon Haiyan (current position is the black dot at the right) is forecast to move to the west and hit the Philippines by Friday.(Photo: Joint Typhoon Warning Center)


The storm should roar near the capital city of Manila, home of 12 million people, late Friday or early Saturday local time, the Weather Channel predicted.

Several typhoons and tropical storms have battered the Philippines this year, killing at least 30 people. The nation is also recovering from an earthquake that killed more than 150 people last month.

The typhoon is the fourth Category 5 storm on the planet this year and the fourth in the western Pacific, according to Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters.

Haiyan, which is the Chinese word for a petrel seabird, is referred to as "Yolanda" in the Philippines, Masters said. It is the 28th named storm of the 2013 western Pacific typhoon season.

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