Philippines takes a direct hit from Typhoon Uwan (Fung Wong): Update

Manila: Monster storm "Uwan" (Fung Wong) slammed into Luzon at 4:17 am, its eye wall scraping Catanduanes' coast like a chainsaw through bamboo.

As of 5am on Sunday (Nov. 9), Uwan has rapidly intensified as it moved closer to land, packing winds of up to 190 pm/h, as per weathermen at Pagasa.

Catanduanes is an island north of the Bicol region, whose residents awakened to the storm's wrath on Sunday, even as thousands were evacuated from low-lying areas.

Mainland Luzon (land area 104,688 km) is, about twice the size of the Netherlands. Uwan is the 21st typhoon to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility in 2025.

The US Joint Typhoon WarnIng Center (JTWC) in Hawaii has upgraded Uwan to a Category 3 "major typhoon", with 1-minute winds of 110 kts (~205 km/h) near the centre and a central pressure of 949 hPa.

There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage to infrastructure. JWTC's upgrade for Uwan is a big jump of pressure from 970 hPa – six hours ago, a clear sign of the ongoing rapid intensification (RI) phase.

JTWC is using 1-minute average sustained winds, hence, a higher wind intensity value compared to Japan Meteorology Agency (JMA) and Pagasa, which use 10-min sustained winds.

Thousands of families were evacuated in several provinces, notably Quezon, Cagayan, Isabela and Aurora even as the National Capital Region (Metro Manila) reeled in slow motion.

Marikina River's water level continues to rise as Uwan dumps heavy rain — potentially hitting "Ondoy" levels.

Power failed from Sorsosogn, Albay and Quezon to La Union, leaving thousands of households in the dark.

Numerous flights had been grounded until further notice.

The monster is not done feeding. Luzon braces for a long, wet day.