Philippines braces for flash floods as Typhoon Koinu hovers

The typhoon is enhancing the south-west monsoon that causes rains and thunderstorms in the main Luzon island. PHOTO: AFP

MANILA (Bloomberg): The Philippines is bracing for flash floods and landslides that may be triggered by heavy rains brought by tropical cyclone Koinu, which reached typhoon category on Monday morning.

The center of the typhoon was spotted 675 kilometers (419.4 miles) east of Aparri in northern Cagayan province, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 150 km/hour, weather agency Pagasa said. It’s moving northwestward at 10 km/hour.