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Associated Press

Typhoon Melor has slammed into the central Philippines, forcing thousands of people to be evacuated from flood-prone communities.
Predictions of destructive winds, heavy rains and storm surges up to 4 metres tall saw authorities suspend school classes and hundreds of flights.
Watch: Typhoon Melor makes landfall in Philippines

The government’s weather bureau said Monday the typhoon is packing winds of 150km/h, with and gusts of up to 185km/h, bringing intense rains within its 300km diameter. The storm made landfall Monday morning in tiny Batag Island in the eastern Philippines, and a second landfall is expected in Sorsogon province.
Bernardo Alejandro, a regional civil defence official, said thousands of residents had already evacuated.

The weather bureau said typhoon Melor, known locally as Nona, was about 205 km east of Samar island and had intensified from a category 2 storm overnight.
It was tracking a similar path to Haiyan, a category 5 typhoon that struck the central Philippines in 2013. Almost 8,000 people were killed or left missing by Haiyan.
Melor was expected to make landfall for the second time on Monday night in Sorsogon province at the southeastern tip of the main island of Luzon.
About 8,000 people were stranded in ports after the coast guard stopped all ferry services and fishing in the central Philippines.
“Melor is a very compact typhoon, so that will prevent its most devastating impacts from extending too far from its centre,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Adam Douty.
He said the typhoon had weakened a little as it encountered drier air early on Monday. “While Melor will not slam onshore as a super typhoon as once feared, it still poses dangers to lives and property,” Douty said.
Alexander Pama, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said typhoon Melor was expected to disrupt power and communications.
About 20 provinces, including around the capital, Manila, are under public storm alert due to strong winds and predictions of up to 300 mm of rain within the storm’s diameter.
About 20 major typhoons pass through the Philippines each year.


Thousands evacuated as 185km/h Typhoon Melor slams into central Philippines

Typhoon Melor spirals towards the central Philippines in this satellite image taken early Monday. Photo: Meteo Group

The predicted track of Typhoon Melor is similar to that of Typhoon Haiyan, which killed 8,000 people in 2013. Graphic: Meteo Group

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