Super typhoon 'Paeng' skirts Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — "Paeng" (international name Nuri) intensified into a super typhoon as it continued to move away from the country on Monday.

Weather bureau PAGASA said that as of 5 a.m., the center of "Paeng" was estimated located 1,135 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City.

The cyclone was packing maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 240 kph. It was moving north northeast at a speed of 13 kph.

Previously tracking westward, the powerful weather system boomeranged over the Philippine Sea and moved north northeast at 13 kilometers per hour toward Japan.

The United States Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning System estimates that "Paeng" will further intensify while over the waters and reach maximum winds of 296 kph to become the year's strongest cyclone.

Super typhoon Florita (international name Neoguri) last July also spared the country's landmass and affected Japan, Guam and the Caroline Islands.

PAGASA said that eastern Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms.

Cagayan valley, Cordillera and Ilocos region will experience partly cloudy skies with isolated light rains, while Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast to northwest will prevail over Luzon and Eastern Visayas.

Coastal waters in the areas, meanwhile, will also be moderate to rough.

View Philstar's Weather site for more information about tropical cyclone Paeng.