A super typhoon sweeping towards the Philippines on Saturday was intensifying and could have a "potentially catastrophic" impact, the state weather forecaster warned, with millions of people at risk from storm surges.

The Philippines evacuated tens of thousands of people from their homes and cancelled dozens of flights on Saturday, as a super typhoon threatened to unleash heavy rains and powerful winds that could trigger floods and storm surges.

Tropical cyclone Man-yi has strengthened into a super typhoon, threatening to bring intense rains and high waves on the Philippines’ main island that’s still reeling from a string of storms in recent weeks.