The new tropical storm Mekkhala has been formed and is active in the waters off the central Philippines' coast, international weather forecast agencies warned on Saturday.

According to a Japanese meteorological agency website, Typhoon Mekkhala was raging in the central coast waters of the Philippines with the strongest winds reaching 103-133 kilometers per hour, and even 150-183km per hour, near the eye of the storm.

The tropical storm’s name, given by Thailand, means the God of Thunder.

The typhoon was forecast to move in a west-northwesterly direction at a speed of 20km per hour, and to hit the central region of the Philippines before entering the Bien Dong (East Sea) on January 20.

The path of storm Mekkhala

But Mekkhala will likely weaken after making landfall in the Philippines, according to Vu Anh Tuan, head of a department under Viet Nam’s National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

It will probably become a tropical depression before entering the waters of Viet Nam, because of the influence of cold air in the area, so it is less likely to affect the country, Tuan added.

Due to the cold air, there will be strong northeast winds blowing at 29-61km per hour in the sea off the central Vietnamese coastal provinces from Quang Ngai to Ninh Thuan and in the middle of the Bien Dong, causing rough seas with waves rising 2-3 meters and even higher.

In addition, there will be strong northeast winds reaching 39-61km per hour – and even 62-88km per hour – in the northern area of the Bien Dong, including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, the waters from the central Vietnamese province of Binh Thuan to the southern province of Ca Mau, and the area west of the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, creating rough seas.