Thousands of people in the Philippines fled their homes as super typhoon Rai slammed into the country Thursday.

Rai had winds of 195 kilometres (120 miles) an hour as it made landfall on the southern island of Siargao at 1.30 pm (12.30pm in Thailand), the state weather forecaster said.

It is the strongest storm to hit the country this year.

The weather bureau warned "very destructive" winds could cause "heavy to very heavy damage to structures and vegetation", along with widespread flooding and rain-induced landslides.

More than 90,000 people sought emergency shelter as the storm charged across the Pacific Ocean, disaster agencies said.

Evacuations were still under way in areas in the typhoon's path.

Scientists have long warned that typhoons are becoming more powerful, and strengthening more rapidly, as the world becomes warmer because of man-made climate change.

A super typhoon is also known as a category five hurricane in the United States.

The Earth tends to experience around five storms of that power a year.

Rai is expected to weaken slightly before emerging Saturday over the South China Sea and heading towards Vietnam.

The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year.