MANILA (UPDATED) — Marce has intensified into a typhoon.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the typhoon was located 590 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora, packing winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 150 kph.

It is moving west northwestward at 30 kph.

Twelve provinces are now under Wind Signal No. 1:

• Batanes

• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands

• Isabela

• Ilocos Norte

• Apayao

• Abra

• Kalinga

• Mountain Province

• Ifugao

• northern Nueva Vizcaya

• northern Quirino

• northern Aurora

More areas will be placed under wind signals and higher warnings will be raised.

MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS; FLOODING AND LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE

Marce may reach peak its intensity prior to landfall over Babuyan Islands or northern mainland Cagayan late Thursday or early Friday.

Beginning Tuesday, parts of Northern Luzon will experience moderate to heavy rains, with heavy to torrential rains expected to batter Cagayan, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Babuyan Islands, and Batanes on Thursday.

There will be a serious threat of flooding and landslides in these areas.

The typhoon’s destructive winds may also trigger storm surge along the coastlines and rough to very rough seas over the seaboards of Northern Luzon during its passage.

Marce may exit the Philippine area of responsibility late Friday or early Saturday.