By Jethro Mullen, CNN, Nov. 7, 2013

Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever observed, made landfall Friday morning in the Philippines, the country's weather service reported.

Thousands of people in vulnerable areas of the central Philippines were evacuated as the monster storm spun toward the country.

With sustained winds of 315 kph (195 mph) and gusts as strong as 380 kph (235 mph), Haiyan churned across the Western Pacific into the Philippines.

Its wind strength makes it equivalent to an exceptionally strong Category 5 hurricane.

Haiyan will move over the many islands of the central Philippines over the next 18 hours before exiting into the South China Sea overnight Friday into Saturday. Haiyan will weaken slightly as the storm crosses land, but forecasters with the Philippine weather agency, Pagasa, predict that it will maintain super typhoon intensity throughout its passage of the islands [....]

Also see:

Monster Typhoon Haiyan roars into Philippines
BBC News, Nov. 7, 2013

The category-five storm was centred 62 km south-east of Guiuan, in the country's Eastern Samar province, the national weather service said.

Schools and offices have been closed in the path of the storm, and thousands evacuated amid fears of serious damage.

The region was already struggling to recover from an earthquake last month [....]