Manila  - A powerful typhoon on Wednesday slowed down as it neared the northern Philippines, the head of the country's weather bureau said.

Prisco Nilo said Typhoon Lupit, with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 210 kph, was moving at 15 kph towards Cagayan province.

Nilo said Lupit, which was initially forecast to hit Cagayan and outlying provinces on Thursday, was not expected to make landfall until Friday.

He added that there was also a chance that Lupit could change course and head for Taiwan.

"The probability is getting bigger that Lupit may change course slightly and head for Taiwan," he said.

But the weather bureau increased the number of provinces under storm warnings in anticipation of the probable landfall of Lupit.

Lupit comes as the Philippines struggled from two back-to-back storms that killed 864 people and destroyed more than 616 million dollars' worth of infrastructure and crops.(dpa)