A severe typhoon is expected to hit the Philippines on Christmas Day, bringing strong winds, floods and storm surges to the disaster-prone country.

Typhoon Nock-Ten, called Typhoon Nina in the Philippines, is forecast to strengthen into a category four typhoon before making landfall on Sunday, local time.

On Saturday morning, the typhoon was east of the Philippines, approaching it at about 20 km/hour. Sustained wind speeds near the centre were 180km/hour, with gusts as high as 250km/hour, making it a category three typhoon.

Some forecasts suggested it would strengthen to category four before making landfall. The predicted path was through the north of the country, over Manilla, although cities on the East of the country would be hit worse, including Naga in the Bicol Region.

In 2015, a United Nations report listed the Philippines as one of countries most affected by natural disasters. And Manilla has been named as particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Typhoons and hurricanes draw their energy from the warmth of the water below, leading scientists to expect them to intensify as global warming continues.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan smashed into the Philippines, killing at least 10,000 people in that country alone. It was one the most deadly, and the strongest landfalling storm, ever recorded.

Typhoons are the same phenomena as cyclones and hurricanes. They are called “typhoons” when they develop in the western part of the North Pacific Ocean.