Super Typhoon Mangkhut, more powerful than Hurricane Florence, heads for the Philippines

Current hurricanes and tropical storms.
(Image credit: NOAA via Getty Images)

Super Typhoon Mangkhut is the most powerful tropical cyclone in the world, with 170 mph winds, and is set to cross over the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Macau over the next few days.

The Global Disaster and Alert Coordination System said that as many as 43.3 million people could be affected by the storm, which is now causing power outages and flooding in Guam. Mangkhut is expected to sweep across the northern Philippines on Friday as the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, but will likely weaken before reaching Hong Kong and Macau. The agriculture secretary of the Philippines warned that with the harvest season nearing, Mangkhut could cause up to $25 million in damage to crops on the island of Luzon.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.