Typhoon Yinxing made a significant impact in the Philippines on Thursday afternoon, making landfall on Luzon, the country’s largest island, with powerful winds and heavy rain. The storm reached maximum sustained winds of about 144 miles per hour, categorizing it as a Category 4 storm.
The U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center confirmed that it made landfall around 2 p.m. local time in Santa Ana, while the Philippine national meteorological agency reported its west-northwest trajectory. The Office of Civil Defense noted that more than 160,000 citizens were evacuated by Thursday morning in anticipation of the storm's arrival.
Schools and businesses have closed in several locations, with authorities warning of potential storm surges that could reach heights of approximately 10 feet. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. declared a "high alert" status, instructing the public works and transportation departments to prepare for road-clearing actions. Government agencies also issued alerts for flash floods and landslides, emphasizing the need for residents to either take shelter or evacuate.
The Philippines is no stranger to typhoons, experiencing an average of 20 storms each year. This year has already seen devastating weather events, including Typhoon Krathon in September, which caused major flooding, and Tropical Storm Trami in October that resulted in 80 fatalities and forced over half a million people to evacuate.
