MANILA — A rapidly strengthening storm barreling toward the Philippines’ largest island was upgraded to super typhoon status on Sunday, with authorities warning of “life-threatening conditions” across several regions.

Typhoon Fung-wong — locally known as Uwan — is packing sustained winds of 185 km/h (155 mph) and torrential rain, according to the state weather bureau Pagasa.

The Bicol region in the east was the first to feel the impact early Sunday, and Luzon, the nation’s main population center, is expected to be hit by Sunday night.

The storm arrives just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi devastated parts of the country, leaving at least 204 people dead and more than 100 missing.

Schools have canceled Monday classes or shifted them online, while Philippine Airlines preemptively suspended several domestic flights.

Officials say Fung-wong will weaken after landfall but is expected to remain a typhoon as it moves across Luzon.

Pagasa said eastern areas were already experiencing strong winds and heavy rain late Saturday.

Catanduanes — an island in Bicol directly in the storm’s path — reported extreme conditions Sunday morning, prompting evacuations in low-lying and coastal communities.

In Aurora province on Luzon’s east coast, residents and hotel workers braced for the typhoon’s arrival around midnight.

Police teams conducted door-to-door checks to ensure tourists had evacuated, leaving beachfront hotels deserted. Staff tied down windows and secured gates as tides rose sharply.

The Philippine Coast Guard carried out pre-landfall evacuations in Quezon province, while rescue operations linked to Kalmaegi have been suspended due to the worsening weather.

Kalmaegi triggered destructive mudflows, flash floods and landslides earlier this week, obliterating poor neighborhoods and displacing thousands. Five people were also reported dead in Vietnam as the storm moved west.

The Philippine government has declared a nationwide state of calamity following Kalmaegi and in preparation for Fung-wong, allowing agencies faster access to emergency funds and supplies.

For many residents, the back-to-back storms have heightened anxiety.

The Philippines is among the world’s most cyclone-prone nations, with about 20 tropical storms forming over the Pacific each year and roughly half making landfall.

Scientists say climate change may not increase the number of typhoons, but warmer oceans and a hotter atmosphere increase the likelihood of stronger, more destructive storms. — Agencies