Super Typhoon Noru slams into the Philippines

Super Typhoon Noru slammed into the Philippines , battering the heavily populated main island of Luzon with strong winds and heavy rain that have forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometres an hour as it charged towards the archipelago nation after an unprecedented "explosive intensification", the state weather forecaster said.

"We ask residents living in danger zones to adhere to calls for evacuation whenever necessary," Philippine National Police chief General Rodolfo Azurin said.

The Philippines is regularly ravaged by storms, with scientists warning they are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change.

The meteorology agency said the storm's wind speeds had increased by 90 kilometres per hour in 24 hours.

The storm hit about 100 kilometres northeast of Manila. Emergency personnel braced for the possibility of strong winds and heavy rain battering the capital, home to more than 13 million people.

Noru came nine months after another super typhoon devastated swathes of the country, killing more than 400 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

More than 4,600 people fled their homes before the latest storm hit, including residents in several municipalities in Quezon, disaster officials said.