Thousands flee as super typhoon nears Philippines

Tens of thousands of people have evacuated from their homes in the Philippines and dozens of flights have been cancelled as a super typhoon threatens to unleash heavy rain and powerful winds that could trigger floods and storm surges.

Packing winds of 185km/h, the storm Man-Yi was heading for the eastern part of the main island of Luzon on Saturday, spurring the weather agency to raise its second-highest alert for the provinces of Catanduanes and Camarines Sur.

"Pepito is approaching its peak intensity," it said, using the domestic name for the super typhoon, which it said was likely to cross the coast near Catanduanes on Saturday night or early Sunday.

Close to 180,000 people in the central region of Bicol have been evacuated, data from the disaster agency showed.

The sixth tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines in a month, Man-Yi has also forced cancellation of dozens of flights in the eastern Visayas region facing the Pacific Ocean.

The weather agency also warned of dangerous storm surges that could exceed three metres in coastal areas of Luzon.

While Man-Yi was expected to weaken as it moved over the island, it said, the storm would probably stay a typhoon until it reached the South China Sea.

About 20 tropical storms strike the Philippines each year on average, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and deadly landslides.

In October, floods and landslides brought by Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey killed 162 people with 22 missing, government figures show.

Four storms churned in the western Pacific ocean at the same time in November for the first time since records began in 1951, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.