A typhoon is blowing into the northern Philippines and complicating the disaster response to a deadly earthquake in a central province and two other recent storms

Typhoon Matmo struck northern Philippines, three days after 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit central part of the Asian nation and weeks after two other cyclones.

Thousands have been evacuated in the Philippines as the nation braces for a super typhoon that has been described by regional authorities as potentially "catastrophic".

Tropical Storm Matmo is edging closer to the Philippines' most populous region of Luzon, which it is expected to cross Friday.

The Philippines and neighboring Asian nations are bracing for Super Typhoon Ragasa, believed to be the year’s most powerful storm.

Matmo, locally known as Paolo, was the 16th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year. The Southeast Asian archipelago nation is lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms a year and lies on the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” making it one of the countries most prone to natural disasters.

Schools and flights were canceled across southern China and many businesses were closed ahead of the storm, one of the world’s strongest this year.

Southern China's streets remained deserted on Wednesday as Typhoon Ragasa, one of the world's strongest storms this year, headed into the region after causing havoc in the Philippines and Taiwan.At least 14 people were confirmed dead in

Known as the strongest storm of the year in the world, Typhoon Ragasa churned through parts of the Western Pacific and slammed into southern China, whipping massive waves, triggering floods and leaving at least 27 dead in its wake in Taiwan and the Philippines.

One of the strongest typhoons in years has made landfall in China, after killing at least 25 people in Taiwan and the Philippines. Typhoon Ragasa slammed Hong Kong with waves taller than lampposts, as the storm turned its attention on the southeast coast of China on Wednesday.

The Philippines has spent trillions on flood-control projects, yet every typhoon season, the same scenes unfold: submerged barangays, families stranded on rooftops, classrooms turned into evacuation centers.