( CNN ) -- The strongest storm on the planet so far this year is rumbling across the Western Pacific near Taiwan and the Philippines , prompting authorities to issue warnings to residents in vulnerable areas . Packing winds as strong as 260 kilometers per hour ( 162 mph ) on Friday , Super Typhoon Usagi is forecast to plow through the Luzon Strait that lies between Taiwan and the Philippines on Saturday . The storm is then expected to weaken to become a severe typhoon as it heads northwest toward the South China coast , where it is predicted to make landfall near the densely populated city of Hong Kong on Sunday . Usagi 's current wind strength makes it equivalent in power to a Category 5 hurricane . The overall storm system measures more than 1,000 kilometers ( 620 miles ) across . `` It 's an incredible storm system , '' said Pedram Javaheri , a meteorologist for CNN International . As the typhoon moves across the sea , it is estimated to be generating waves as high as about 15 meters ( 50 feet ) . In the storm 's path . Its outer bands have already brought rain to the northern Philippines , where authorities have issued storm warnings for more than 15 provinces . The local weather agency , Pagasa , said residents in mountainous and low-lying areas should beware of possible flash floods and landslides . The lightly populated Batanes Islands -- situated right in the middle of the Luzon Strait , and the storm 's path -- are the area the most at risk from potentially devastating winds , the agency said . Usagi is expected to come closest to Taiwan on Saturday . The Central Weather Bureau issued a typhoon warning for the island , with heavy rain predicted , particularly in the east . `` If you 're on the east coast of Taiwan , you 've certainly got to take this storm very seriously , '' Javaheri said . Usagi could dump more than one meter ( 3 feet ) of rain on the area over the coming days , he said . Preparations in China . In China , authorities have issued a disaster relief alert ahead of the storm 's expected arrival over the weekend . Usagi is expected to hit coastal areas of the populous southern province of Guangdong . The National Disaster Reduction Commission and the Ministry of Civil Affairs have asked local authorities to prepare for potential emergencies and damage caused by the typhoon , the state-run news agency Xinhua reported Friday . The Hong Kong Observatory warned residents that Usagi posed a threat to the territory . `` Weather will deteriorate significantly with strengthening winds and rough seas '' on Sunday , it said . East Asia is buffeted for several months a year by heavy storms that roll in from the Western Pacific . Usagi has eclipsed Super Typhoon Utor , which hit the Philippines and South China last month , as the strongest storm of the year so far . About 50 people died as result of Utor in China , and 11 people were killed in the Philippines . CNN 's Brandon Miller contributed to this report .
CNN International is the most powerful storm in the world so far Saturday . It 's packing winds of more than 15 kph , equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane . Authorities in the Taiwan and Taiwan have issued storm warnings . `` It 's an incredible storm system , '' says a Usagi meteorologist .