NOAA / Reuters Typhoon Haiyan is pictured in this NOAA satellite handout image taken November 6, 2013 at 23:13 UTC.

Super typhoon Haiyan, likely the strongest storm to form on the planet this year, is heading toward a Friday morning landfall in the Philippines, posing an extremely serious threat to the central part of the archipelago.

The storm is near its theoretical maximum strength, with sustained winds of 290 kph, and is not expected to weaken significantly, due to very warm water temperatures along its path, reports the Washington Post.

(MORE: Supertyphoon Haiyan Smashes Into The Philippines)

Haiyan, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, is likely to push a storm surge of at least two or three meters along the eastern coast of southern Luzon and Samar islands, and will impact the area that was ravaged by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in mid-October.

[Washington Post]