New Delhi, June 24 -- Philippine authorities on Tuesday warned of possible flooding in low-lying villages, landslides and rough seas in the country's two northernmost provinces as a powerful typhoon roared offshore.

Typhoon Mekkhala was last tracked over the Pacific before midday, about 375 kilometers (230 miles) northeast of Aparri town in Cagayan province with sustained winds of up to 175 kph (110 mph), the country's weather agency said.

Mekkhala was moving northwestward at 10 kph (6 mph) and was not expected to make a landfall, but the typhoon's wide rain and wind band could batter the eastern coasts of Cagayan and Batanes, an island province further north, Philippine officials said.

The first of a five-step tropical cyclone wind wa...