As 1.7 million people evacuate for Hurricane Florence, a far stronger 'super typhoon' is about to hit the Philippines and China

Aaron Favila/AP

The predicted path of Typhoon Mangkhut, which is approaching the Philippines.

• Super Typhoon Mangkhut is about to hit southeast Asia.
• It is predicted to be a far bigger and more dangerous storm than Hurricane Florence, which is set to hit the US east coast.
• Mangkhut is expected to make landfall in the Philippines on Saturday, before moving on to southern China, Vietnam, and Laos.
• It has already lashed through Guam, causing power outages, destroying homes, and flooding large areas.
• Guam's governor has asked Donald Trump for federal aid.

As 1.7 million people on the US East Coast prepare for Hurricane Florence's arrival, another stronger storm is set to lash southeast Asia.

Super Typhoon Mangkhut, considered the strongest storm so far this season, is expected to make landfall in the Philippines before advancing to southern China, Vietnam, and Laos.

The map below, published by the Philippines' meteorological authority on Thursday morning, shows the typhoon's predicted path over the next few days. Typhoon Mangkhut is also known as Typhoon Ompong in the Philippines.

The northern Philippines, southern China, Vietnam, and northern Laos are in the typhoon's direct line.

As of Thursday morning, the storm was 450 miles in the Pacific Ocean with sustained winds of 127 mph, and gusts of up to 158 mph, the Associated Press reported.

Tropical cyclones in the west North Pacific Ocean with sustained winds of more than 150 mph are called "super typhoons."

That makes the typhoon the equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which is used to measure storms in the Atlantic and northern Pacific oceans.

Mangkhut is expected to be more "bigger, stronger, and more dangerous" than Florence, although the comparative damage of the two storms depends on what they hit, CNN reported.

Read more: Hurricane Florence could hit the US with up to 13 feet of storm surge and 40 inches of rain - here's what that much water actually looks like

Aaron Favila/AP

Filipino forecaster Meno Mendoza illustrates the path of Typhoon Mangkhut on Wednesday, September 12.

Brandon Miller, CNN's meteorologist, said:

"All things being equal, Mangkhut is a bigger, stronger and more dangerous storm [than Florence].

"Any land hit directly would see more significant and destructive impacts from the Super Typhoon due to its size and intensity."

However, because the US east coast has more and costlier infrastructure than southeast Asia, Florence is likely to wreak more damage to property. At least two nuclear power plants are in Florence's direct path.

"But Mangkhut presents a more serious threat to life considering it will hit with stronger winds, over a larger area, and have higher storm surge," he added.

Mangkhut tore through the Marshall Islands and US territory Guam earlier this week. The typhoon left parts of Guam without electricity, as well as knocked down power poles, destroyed houses, uprooted trees, and flooded large areas, the local Pacific Daily News reported.

Guam governor Eddie Calvo has asked President Donald Trump to send federal aid to help restore the island.

Japan Meteorological Agency via University of Wisconsin-Madison

A satellite image of Typhoon Mangkhut in the Pacific Ocean, taken on Thursday morning.

Evacuations and stockpiling

The Philippines is poised to get hit first. Officials in the island nation have started evacuating thousands of people, closing down schools, and preparing bulldozers for landslides, the Associated Press reported.

Food prices in Hong Kong, which is preparing for heavy rainfall and storms from Typhoon Mangkhut, have gone up as residents started stockpiling, the South China Morning Post reported.

Shopkeepers have also started putting sandbags in front of their stores to prevent water from getting in.

Read more: Furious customers are accusing Amazon of raising the price of water ahead of Hurricane Florence, but the truth is more complicated

Erik De Castro/Reuters

Workers in Quezon City, Philippines, roll up advertising billboards along a main road on Wednesday in preparation for Super Typhoon Mangkhut.

Southeast Asia is also expecting the arrival of Tropical Storm Barijat, which as of Thursday morning was moving across the western Pacific Ocean with a wind speed of 35 mph, according to Cyclocane.

China has evacuted around 12,000 people in low-lying areas in the southeastern Guangdong province, and halted shipping schedules in preparation for Barijat, according to the state-run Xinhua news.