Typhoon Melor strikes Philippines, damaging winds, serious flooding Expected

Powerful Typhoon Nona arrived in the central Philippines Monday morning after undergoing a last-minute spurt of intensification, Sky news reported.

The tropical cyclone, known by the name Melor internationally, is forecast to tear a swath from east to west through the heart of the island nation through Wednesday, bringing flooding from rainfall and storm surge in addition to the wind threat.

The eye of Typhoon Nona became much better defined as it approached the northern coast of the island of Samar in the eastern Philippines late Monday morning local time. Satellite-based intensity estimates from the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggested Nona's maximum wind speeds rapidly increased from approximately 100 mph (155 kph) at 3 a.m. Monday to about 135 mph (220 kph) by 10:20 a.m.

(The Philippines are eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.)

As of 11 a.m. local time Monday, the Philippine national weather agency PAGASA said the center of Typhoon Nona was about 50 miles (85 kilometers) east of Catarman, a city along the northern coast of the island of Samar.

Sources: MENA