tropical cyclone

Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally called Tino, is the 20th tropical cyclone this year to hit the Philippines, a country prone to powerful storms.

"It's a catastrophic situation," the World Meteorological Organization's tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan said at a press briefing, warning of storm surges up to four metres high.

When Brisbane-based Prof Angus found himself caught up in the heavy rain and flooding brought on by Tropical Cyclone Alfred also in February, he preferred to follow official advice from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, as he believes they still provide the most accurate forecasts and warnings.

"It really doesn't matter to us whether it's been downgraded from a tropical cyclone to a weather event," he said.

Four million people are in the firing line of the region's first tropical cyclone in more than half a century, which is expected to make landfall on Saturday.