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WEATHER
Typhoons

Typhoon Haima slams into the Philippines with 140 mph winds

Doyle Rice
USA TODAY
A woman conducts a ritual prayer for protection against the typhoon that was forecast to hit her village in the town of Aparri, Cagayan province, Philippines, on Oct. 19, 2016.

Typhoon Haima slammed into the Philippine Island of Luzon Wednesday evening local time with winds estimated at 140 mph, forecasters said.

It hit Penablanca town in Cagayan province, the Associated Press reported, bringing intense rain. Many villages lost power and strong winds tore tin roofs off houses, the AP said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.

Haima hit as the equivalent of a "very damaging" Category 4 hurricane, WeatherBell meteorologist Ryan Maue said.

James Reynolds from EarthUncutTV, who reports from extreme storms, posted a video on social media that showed fierce winds and driving rain in Tuguegarao, Philippines.

Haima weakened from a Category 5, 165-mph super typhoon before making landfall. A typhoon becomes a super typhoon when sustained wind speeds reach 150 mph. The system was the Earth's seventh Category 5 storm of the year, four of which spun in the western Pacific, Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach said.

Haima, known as Lawin in the Philippines, is the second typhoon landfall in Luzon in four days, following this past weekend's hit from Typhoon Sarika, locally known as Karen, that killed at least three people.

After hitting the Philippines, Haima is forecast to weaken and hit China on Friday, AccuWeather said.

About 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, the AP said.

At least 23 other typhoons of Category 4 strength have hit Luzon since the 1950s, which is why the region is known as "typhoon alley," Weather Channel meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said.

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