Super typhoon headed toward the Philippines
A resident wades through chest-deep floodwaters along a street while his neighbours (L) paddle an improvised life raft in Manila on September 23, 2013, after torrential rains pounded Luzon island worsened by Typhoon Usagi. Monsoon rains worsened by Typhoon Usagi pounded the Philippines for the third day on September 23, causing floods and landslides that left six people dead and others stranded on rooftops, officials said.
Typhoon Haiyan, roughly 500 miles south of Guam late Tuesday and early Wednesday, will likely reach super typhoon status – sustained winds of at least 150 miles per hour – before hitting the Philippines on Friday, weather forecasters said.
The storm is predicted to arrive in the central Philippines around Friday midday local time (Thursday night, United States time) and strike Manila on Friday night or early Saturday morning local time (Friday, US time).
"Haiyan will rival Utor as the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year," AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Eric Wanenchak said.
Typhoon Utor, a category 4 storm, blew across the Philippines in August.
That storm sank a cargo ship, shut down financial markets in Hong Kong and forced tens of thousands to flee in China, the Associated Press reported.
Rain from Haiyan could exceed eight inches, causing mudslides and flash floods, forecasters warned.
More from GlobalPost: 23 missing as Typhoon Utor hits Philippines
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