Tropical storm Wukong, which is forecast to strike the Philippines at about 12:00 GMT on 25 December, will likely enter the East Sea tomorrow night or early Thursday.
The forecast has been released today by meteorological forecast websites from the US Navy, Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
At 5 am today the storm was 400 km east of Surigo city in southern Philippines.
Flood and landslide warnings were issued across the central and southern Philippines on Christmas Day as Tropical Storm Wukong threatened the disaster-prone Asian nation, officials said Tuesday, AFP reported.
The eye of the storm is expected to hit land on Samar island before dawn on Wednesday, bringing "heavy to intense" rain over a 350-kilometre- (217-mile-) wide front, the state weather service said.
These areas should expect potential landslides and floods, and local officials may have to order evacuations, AFP cited civil defense chief Benito Ramos as saying.
The storm is moving between east and northeast at about 20 kph, packing winds of 63-87 kph and gusts of 88-117 kph, according to Vietnam’s National Center for Hydro Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
If the storm enters the middle area of the East Sea tomorrow night or early Thursday, December 27, as forecast, it will become the 10th storm in the East Sea, and may be the last, this year.
After entering the East Sea, the storm will move more rapidly, at 25 kph, and may affect the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.
The storm will likely be stronger later and pass through the archipelago before going towards the region from Khanh Hoa to Ca Mau provinces, according to Le Thi Xuan Lan, from the Southern Hydro-Meteorological Station.
On December 28, the storm will likely move faster, at 30 kph, with stronger winds, up to 87 kph.
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