‘Mangkhut’ intensifies as it nears PAR

Typhoon “Mangkhut” (local name “Ompong”) further intensified as it moved closer to the Philippines on Wednesday.

The typhoon was packing maximum sustained winds of 200 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 245 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

It was last spotted 1,390 kilometers east of Northern Luzon, moving westward with a speed of 20 kph.

Mangkhut was already classified as a super typhoon at Joint Typhoon Warning Center on Tuesday night.

Pagasa measures the average wind strength every 10 minutes, while the JTWC measures average winds per minute.

Weather specialist Chris Perez said that if Mangkhut keeps its track, it will enter the Philippine area of responsibility on Wednesday morning.

The southwest monsoon will affect Palawan, Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula. /cbb