A powerful typhoon wrecked houses, caused towering tidal surges and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee to emergency shelters as it cut across the northern Philippines on Sunday in the sixth major storm to hit the country in less than a month.

Severe Tropical Storm Man-yi, known as Pepito in the Philippines, will strengthen into a typhoon with the strength of Category 4 Saffir-Simpson storm before hitting the island nation on Sunday, AccuWeather meteorologists say.