Thousands of people were evacuated from northern Philippine villages and schools and offices were closed Monday in the archipelago and neighboring Taiwan as one of this year’s strongest typhoons threatened to cause flooding and landslides on its way to southeastern China. Super Typhoon Ragasa had sustained winds of 215 kph (134 mph) with gusts of up to 295 kph (183 mph) when it slammed into Panuitan island off Cagayan province on mid-afternoon Monday, Philippine forecasters said. Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185 kph (115 mph) or higher are categorized in the Philippines as a super typhoon, a designation adopted years ago to underscore the urgency tied to such extreme weather disturbances. Ragasa was heading west and forecast to remain in the South China Sea at least into Wednesday while passing south of Taiwan and Hong Kong before landfall on the Chinese mainland.

Full report : Super typhoon blowing by northern Philippines and Taiwan forces evacuations and closures.