Current Affairs: Authorities in Phillipines shut schools and suspended fishing and ferry services as a Category 3 typhoon strikes the nation with heavy rains that could cause flooding and landslides.
The weather bureau said typhoon Melor, known locally as Nona, was about 205 km (130 miles) east of Samar island and had intensified from a category 2 storm overnight, with winds of up to 150 kph (95 mph) at its centre.
It was plotting a similar path to Haiyan, a category 5 typhoon that struck the central Philippines in 2013. Almost 8,000 people were killed or left missing by Haiyan.
Melor was expected to make landfall today night in Sorsogon province at the southeastern tip of the main island of Luzon.
About 8,000 people were stranded in ports after the coast guard stopped all ferry services and fishing in the central Philippines.
About 20 major typhoons pass through the Philippines each year.