More than 20 dead in floods in the Philippines

A tropical storm has dumped a month's worth of rain across much of the northern Philippines, killing more than 20 people and forcing 150,000 others to evacuate.

Trami made landfall on Thursday on the northeast coast of Luzon, the country's most populous island, causing widespread flooding and landslides.

The hardest hit was the Bicol Peninsula, where floods forced people and their pets to the second floors of their homes.

Typhoons are not uncommon in the Philippines at this time of year, but rainfall in Trami was unusually heavy, the state weather bureau told BBC News.

People trapped on their roofs posted photos of their ordeal on social media to plead for rescue, prompting the coast guard to deploy inflatable boats.

“It will be dangerous. We are waiting for rescuers,” Karen Tabagan from the flooded municipality of Bato told AFP.

The rains also triggered volcanic mudslides, or lahars, in villages around Mount Mayon, an active volcano in Bicol. Photos showed the tires of cars and the front doors of houses partially buried in dark gray mud.

The storm, known locally as Kristine, dumped a month's worth of rain in Bicol for over 24 hours, Ana Claren, forecaster at the state weather bureau in Manila, told BBC News.

The rainfall also exceeded what the weather bureau considers “normal” over 30 years of observation, she said.

“The rains were really heavy. We didn’t expect this,” Glenda Bonga, the acting governor of Albay province, told local broadcaster ANC.

The storm, with winds of up to 95 km/h (59 mph), was expected to leave the country's northwest coast late Thursday evening.

Rescuers were also searching for a missing fisherman after a boat sank in waters off Bulacan province west of Manila, the local disaster agency told AFP.

Rescue work was difficult as the winds caused a strong current, said Geraldine Martinez, a rescue worker in Obando township in Bulacan.

At least a dozen flights across the country were canceled.

Authorities continued to warn of heavy rains, floods, landslides and storm surges on the way out of the Philippines.

Another low pressure area off Bicol could develop into a tropical depression by the end of the week, Ms. Claren said.

The Philippines is hit by an average of four typhoons annually, some of which are fatal.

However, recent years have seen typhoons with stronger, more destructive winds and heavier rainfall.