Usagi was a typhoon in the South China Sea Friday morning Philippine Time, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said in its latest advisory. The typhoon had sustained wind speeds of 81 miles per hour, which would make it a Category 1 hurricane if it were in the Atlantic Ocean.

Typhoon Usagi weakened sharply on Friday after bearing down on the Philippines' northern towns, blowing away houses in its path as authorities brace for another storm that could hit the capital Manila over the weekend.

The Philippines faced another severe natural disaster on Thursday as Typhoon Usagi slammed into the northern province of Cagayan, wreaking havoc on communities already battered by a series of recent storms.

The storm made landfall on the island of Luzon. Forecasters warned of torrential rain and landslides in the north of the country.

Typhoon Usagi struck the northern Philippines on Thursday afternoon, the fifth powerful storm to impact the country in three weeks, with the system set to swing north and move toward Taiwan.