Philippines Braces as Typhoon Ragasa Nears Super Typhoon Strength

Typhoon Ragasa, locally known as Nando, may intensify into a super typhoon on Sunday as it advances toward northern Luzon, the Philippine weather bureau Pagasa has warned. The storm poses a serious threat to rice and corn crops during peak harvest season.

As of 5 a.m. local time, the eye of the typhoon was located 610 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, a key rice-producing province. Ragasa is carrying maximum sustained winds of 175 km/h, close to the 185 km/h threshold that classifies a system as a super typhoon.

Pagasa said the storm could pass near or make landfall over Batanes or the Babuyan Islands by Monday. Authorities also warned of storm surges exceeding 3 meters along coastal areas of northern Luzon within the next 48 hours.

The government reported that around 380 people have already been evacuated from vulnerable communities in northern and central Luzon.

The storm’s arrival coincides with the September–October rice harvest, a critical period for local farmers. The Philippines, the world’s largest rice importer, recently suspended foreign rice purchases for 60 days to support domestic production.

The Southeast Asian nation is among the most disaster-prone countries globally, with about 20 cyclones hitting its territory annually. In 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan claimed more than 6,000 lives in the Philippines.