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MANILA : Tropical storm Halong gained strength as it approached the northern Philippines and was expected to hit land late Saturday, the government weather station said.
The storm was about 130 kilometres (80 miles) west of Iba on the main northern island of Luzon at 10:30 am (0230 GMT) and moving northeast at 19 kilometres per hour, it said.
It was expected to hit the coastal Luzon province of Ilocos Sur late Saturday and cross the northern tip of Luzon.
The storm was packing maximum winds of 105 kilometres per hour near the centre with gusts of up to 135 kilometres per hour, the weather station said.
The highest level of a three-step storm alert has been raised for Ilocos Sur and its neighbouring provinces north of Manila.
Lower level alerts were in force over the rest of Luzon including the Philippine capital.
Halong has already brought heavy rains to Luzon and the central islands, resulting in floods that left two women dead on the island of Negros and forced thousands to flee their homes earlier this week.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, who is also head of civil defence, said it was unusual for a storm to hit in May and warned people to take adequate precautions.
Civil defence spokesman Anthony Golez said local governments had already been told to prepare for the storm and that coastal communities were being put on alert to watch out for storm surges or flashfloods. - AFP/ms
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