Manila, July 25 (EFE). — The Philippine Meteorological Bureau said on Tuesday that Typhoon Doksuri increased its intensity to the maximum level, 5 out of 5, and was classified as a super typhoon as it approaches the north of the archipelago.
According to the latest forecast, Doksuri could make landfall in the north of the country between this morning and Wednesday morning, while the resulting rain is already impacting Luzon Island, the Philippines’ most populous and home to the capital.
The eye of the typhoon, called Egay in the Philippines, is 310 kilometers east of Luzon this morning and is registering sustained winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 230 kilometers per hour, the Administration of Astronomical, Geophysical and Atmospheric Services of the Philippines (PAGASA) said.
If it continues on its current course, Doksuri threatens to pass through the northern province of Batanes, which is made up of ten small islands in the Luzon Strait a few hundred kilometers from Taiwan and has a population of about 16,500.
In addition to heavy rains and winds, the typhoon could cause flooding in coastal areas that could exceed three meters and there is a risk of landslides, authorities say.
After passing through the Philippines, the typhoon continued its course toward southern Taiwan and southeast China.
The Philippines experiences about 20 hurricanes each year, a situation that tends to worsen due to climate change and scientists say could worsen this year with the arrival of El Niño, a meteorological phenomenon that warms the oceans and causes a greater number of storms.