(Bloomberg) -- Tropical Cyclone Trami strengthened to a severe storm that could further dump heavy rain on the Philippines’ main island where massive flooding has affected around 150,000 people.
Trami — known locally as Kristine — has intensified, with its top sustained winds of 95 kilometers (59 miles) per hour, up from 85 kilometers, according to the latest notice from the nation’s weather bureau. The storm is forecast to cross the Luzon coast late Wednesday or early Thursday over the northern province of Isabela.
One person has died after being hit by a fallen tree south of Manila, while five have been reported injured, the Office of Civil Defense earlier said. Some cities in the capital region and nearby provinces are already planning to shut schools on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered government officials to prepare for more rainfall, watch water levels in dams, and reach isolated areas as soon as possible.
Authorities are struggling to rescue people stranded by widespread flooding in areas south of Manila, with some residents trapped on the roof of their homes, according to local media. The weather bureau warned of potential heavy rains on some northern provinces, and possible flooding in the Cagayan River basin.
Trami has strong gale-force winds that extend outward up to 730 kilometers, and the storm is about 175 kilometers east of Echague town in Isabela. The bureau also earlier warned of potentially life-threatening storm surge of up to 3 meters along parts of the Luzon coast.
There is still some uncertainty about Trami’s trajectory after it tracks over the Philippines and back over the sea to the west of the country.
The US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects the storm to move west over the South China Sea toward central Vietnam, and strengthen slightly. However, a belt of high pressure, known as a subtropical ridge, could keep Trami offshore and prevent a second landfall, the center added. Even so, Trami could bring rains to Vietnam, potentially affecting the harvesting of coffee.
The Philippines is among countries most exposed to more extreme weather events caused by climate change, with an average of 20 typhoons hitting the nation every year.
--With assistance from Cliff Venzon, Yasufumi Saito and Ditas Lopez.
(Updates with latest weather notice throughout.)
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