NASA: Super Typhoon 'Ompong' creates 50-foot waves in Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines - Super Typhoon "Ompong" is not expected to hit the country but it has been creating extremely rough sea conditions in the Philippine Sea, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Based on NASA's data, the typhoon was generating sea waves as high as 50 feet while moving slowly northward over the Philippine Sea.

The Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the US Department of Defense also gave the same wave height data.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said earlier that "Ompong" will not make landfall over any part of the country but it is enhancing the northeasterly winds.

This has resulted in rough to very rough sea conditions over the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon and over the eastern seaboard of Luzon and of Visayas, the weather bureau explained.

"Fisherfolks and those using small seacrafts are advised not to venture out over the said seaboards," it said.

In its latest bulletin, PAGASA said Ompong was located at 890 kilometers east of Calayan, Cagayan bearing maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 250 kph.

Heavy to intense rainfall amount (7.5 to 25 millimeters per hour) has been estimated within the 700-kilometer diameter of the typhoon.

Forecast to move at 9 kph, Ompong is expected to be at 830 kilometers east of Itbayat, Batanes by Friday morning.

Ompong will be outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Sunday morning, PAGASA said.