Philippines braces for tropical storm approaching northern provinces

A screengrab showing the path of tropical storm Noru on a map. (Image: Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration)

MANILA: The Philippines' disaster agency said on Saturday (Sep 24) it was on high alert as a tropical storm was expected to bring heavy rainfall and severe winds to northern provinces, some of which have already been hit by a cyclone last month.

Tropical storm Noru is forecast to bring rains over several provinces, including Cagayan and Isabela from Saturday night, and make landfall on Sunday, weather forecasters said.

Noru, with sustained winds of up to 110kmh, comes after tropical storm Ma-On caused three deaths in northern Philippines in August, as it brought heavy rains that flooded communities and caused landslides.

"This tropical cyclone is forecast to intensify into a typhoon in the next 12 hours and may further intensify prior to landfall," the weather forecasting agency said in a bulletin issued at 5pm.

Local governments have been advised to undertake pre-emptive evacuations of communities in high-risk areas, the disaster agency said in a statement, as weather forecasters warned of flooding and rain-induced landslides.

The weather bureau said Noru was moving westward towards the east coast of Aurora province or northern portion of Quezon province, where it was likely to make landfall on Sunday afternoon.

This article was originally published on ChannelNewsAsia. Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes. 

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