Authorities in the Philippines were on high alert Sunday as Super Typhoon Noru began to blast through the country's eastern islands on a path toward its main Luzon island.
The eyewall of the storm, locally known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Karding, was making landfall in the Polillo Islands at 5 p.m. local (5 a.m. ET), according to an update from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
The storm has sustained winds of 240 kph (149 mph), with gusts up to 295 kph (183 mph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Authorities previously issued an extreme emergency alert as the storm reached super typhoon status early on Sunday morning local time, after suddenly intensifying.
"The highest emergency preparedness and response protocol has been activated in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and the Bicol region," said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
It urged the public to take care, adding strong winds were expected to hit within the next 18 hours
The typhoon is expected to make landfall in the northern part of Quezon or the southern part of Aurora in the evening, PAGASA said in an earlier live hourly television bulletin. At the time it said it did not rule out a landfall in the Polillo Islands in the afternoon.
Schools in multiple cities including Muntinlupa City and Aurora suspended classes for Monday, September 26, due to the approaching storm.
According to CNN Weather, Noru now has winds equal to a category 5 US hurricane.
It is expected to bring large waves and storm surge, torrential rains, and winds in excess of 200 kph (124 mph) to Luzon over the next 24 hours.
PAGASA issued a signal warning level four for the Polillo Islands in anticipation of extensive damage that could be caused by the storm.
The warning came after the storm rapidly intensified in the early hours of Sunday.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said it had strengthened from a 140 kph (85 mph) typhoon to a 250 kph (155 mph) super typhoon in just six hours.
PAGASA also issued level two and three warnings for much of Luzon, including metro Manila.
Tropical Storm Talas kills two in Japan
Meanwhile, authorities in Japan said Sunday that two people had been killed in landslides caused by Tropical Storm Talas.
One person is missing after his car fell into a river, Shizuoka
Prefecture government reported.
The prefecture saw its heaviest daily rainfall on record, including a record rainfall of 416.5 mm (over 16 inches) in Suruga-ku, Shizuoka City, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
During the downpour, the prefecture urged 1,200,000 households -- approximately 3 million people -- to evacuate.
More than 1,000 houses and a large number of roads in the prefecture were flooded, it said, adding that multiple bridges have collapsed.
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