A super typhoon that formed in just 48 hours threatens the Philippines and Taiwan with destructive winds and torrential rains in the coming days, according to Taiwan's central meteorological office.
Read also Storm Olaf, which has become a category 2 hurricane, hits the Mexican coast
The force 5 typhoon, named Chanthu, was about 630 kilometers southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan on Friday morning, with gusts reaching 234 kilometers per hour, according to the weather agency.
Waves of 10 meters expected
The Philippine meteorological agency said the typhoon is expected to graze the northeastern tip of the country later today Friday, warning of "
destructive
"
winds
in the city of Santa Ana, where about 35,000 people live, and in the eastern part of the very remote Babuyan Islands.
Read also Eastern China swept away by Typhoon In-Fa, transport interrupted
She added that waves of 2.5 to 10 meters would be caused by rough seas. The governor of Cagayan ordered government and private sector workers to stay at home and "
fortify
" their homes, said Rogelio Sending, the province's information officer. According to most projections, the storm will then continue to move northeast and could directly hit Taiwan over the weekend.
Meteorologists were amazed at how quickly Chanthu turned into a powerful storm after making its appearance between Guam and the Philippines on Monday.
"
Chanthu went from a depression to a Category 5 typhoon in 48 hours,
" Sam Lillo, a researcher with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wrote on Twitter.
Only five other storms, all from this century, have done this, he added.
In just two days, Chanthu's wind speed increased from 30 miles per hour to 160 miles per hour at its peak.
Typhoons become more powerful and intensify faster as the planet warms due to man-made climate change.
