Tropical storm Conson strengthens to catergory 1 typhoon

Tropical Storm Conson strengthened to a category 1 typhoon on 13 July 2010 and is now impacting coastal and low-lying areas of Luzon Island. According to meteorologists at Wilkens Weather Technologies, the storm system is slightly weakening as it begins to move over land. The storm is projected to move over Luzon and then make landfall again west of Hong Kong, China, as a tropical storm on 16-17 July. As of 0900 UTC, Conson was located 173 mi/278 km east of Manila and was moving west at 17 mph/15 kt; maximum sustained winds are estimated at 75 mph/65 kt, with 92 mph/80 kt gusts. The Philippine government has raised its alert levels along the southeastern coast and has placed troops on standby across the country in the event evacuations are needed. Civilian agencies were ordered to stockpile food, water, medicine and other relief supplies. Major rice-producing areas, including Nueva Ecija, Bualacan, Tarlac, Pampanga and Isabela, have been assigned an alert level of either 1 or 2. Heavy rain and flooding are the primary threats associated with the storm.