(UPDATES) TYPHOON Julian (international name: Krathon) pounded the Batanes islands near Taiwan on Monday, before moving away toward the northwestern boundary of the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), the state-run weather agency said Monday.

In its 5 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Signal No. 4 remained hoisted over Batanes while Signal No. 3 was up over the northern and western portions of Babuyan Islands (Babuyan Island, Calayan Island, Dalupiri Island and Fuga Island).

Pagasa said Signal No. 2 was still raised over the northern and western portion of mainland Cagayan (Piat, Santo Nino, Camalaniugan, Tuao, Lal-Lo, Pamplona, Gonzaga, Alcala, Amulung, Santa Teresita, Baggao, Buguey, Solana, Rizal, Claveria, Gattaran, Iguig, Lasam, Aparri, Ballesteros, Abulug, Allacapan, Sanchez-Mira, Santa Praxedes and Santa Ana) including the rest of Babuyan Islands, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Ilocos Norte, and the northern and central portions of Ilocos Sur (Sinait, Cabugao, San Emilio, Lidlidda, Banayoyo, Santiago, Santa Maria, Burgos, San Esteban, Nagbukel, Narvacan, Santa, Caoayan, Bantay, Santo Domingo, San Juan, San Vicente, San Ildefonso, Magsingal, Santa Catalina and City of Vigan).

Meanwhile, Signal No. 1 was up over the rest of Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Benguet, the rest of mainland Cagayan (Peñablanca, Tuguegarao City and Enrile), Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, the northern portion of Aurora (Dilasag, Casiguran and Dinalungan) and the northern portion of Nueva Ecija (Carranglan, Lupao and Pantabangan) also in Luzon.

Estimated some 95 kilometers west-southwest of Itbayat, Batanes, the typhoon was moving west-northwestward at 15 kilometers per hour (kph) while packing maximum sustained winds of 175 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 215 kph, the state weather bureau said.

Weather specialist Aldczar Aurelio of Pagasa said Julian, the sixth storm to hit the country in September and the 10th this year, would likely exit PAR by Thursday.

Pagasa said "violent winds" would be likely over Batanes, which could cause "very heavy" damage to high-risk structures.

"Batanes and the north-eastern Babuyan Islands are now experiencing violent winds as Typhoon Julian continues to move over the Balintang Channel, the waterway that separates the two areas," Aurelio said.

The peak of devastating typhoon-force winds would be felt over these areas under Signal No. 4 between Monday morning and afternoon, he said.

The typhoon passed near the island of Sabtang in the Batanes group late in the morning with maximum sustained winds of 170 kilometers an hour and gusts of up to 215 kilometers an hour.

The state weather service said in its latest bulletin that "significant to severe impacts from typhoon-force winds are possible" in Batanes, a province of some 20,000 people.

Batanes provincial Gov. Marilou Cayco, reached by satellite phone by radio DZBB, said the typhoon began to hit the islands Sunday night and that 27 families had been evacuated.

"The wind is so strong, it is like an earthquake," she said.

Cayco said "many" houses were damaged, with roofing sheets flying through the air.

"People are asking for help, but we cannot go out" because it was too dangerous, she said.

There were no reports of casualties before electricity and telephone contact were cut by the strong winds, said a senior Batanes police official, who was on the main island of Luzon and asked not to be identified.

The police official also said "preemptive evacuations" were undertaken shortly before the typhoon struck.

Police and rescue officials in Batanes province could not be reached by normal phone service.

Photos and video clips posted on social media showed coconut trees swaying violently in a white blanket of rain and fog on Batan and Sabtang, two of the islands that make up Batanes province.

The state weather service said Julian was moving slowly west but was expected to turn north by late Tuesday and strike Taiwan late on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the trough of the typhoon is affecting Metro Manila, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and the rest of Central Luzon.

Airports operations in the northern part of the country were suspended due to Typhoon Julian.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Monday reported that airports under its control have been affected by moderate to heavy rainfall.

The Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at Laoag International Airport have been suspended after heavy rains, which caused the cancellation of Philippine Airlines flight PR2196/PR2197 from Manila to Laoag and back to Manila.

CAAP said Lingayen Airport experienced moderate to heavy rains leading to the suspension of flight activities.

Baguio Airport, which is under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1, was also experiencing moderate to strong winds. Its operations are suspended.

San Fernando Airport's VFR operations were suspended, as were Vigan Airport operations.

Basco Airport, which is under Signal No. 4, has shut down.

Tuguegarao Airport was under Signal No. 2. There were no scheduled commercial or general aviation flights.

Flights at Cauayan and Palanan airports have been canceled due to Signal No. 1 being raised.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Northern Luzon continued to supply family food packs (FFPs) and other relief goods for augmentation support to local government units along the path of Typhoon Julian.

The DSWD Field Office 2-Cagayan Valley, through its Disaster Response and Management Division, Regional Quick Response Teams, and Social Welfare and Development Team, was closely monitoring weather updates and other essential information from all accessible sources.

Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao confirmed on Monday that all teams were ready for mobilization.

The department's field office in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) said there would be enough food and nonfood items, as well as transportation and communication equipment, to transfer relief supplies to regions impacted by the region's weather disturbance.

"We are also monitoring with the regional office in CAR because Apayao is affected, as well as Kalinga in Mountain Province," Dumlao said.

The DSWD Field Office 1-Ilocos Region has also prepared FFPs in Ilocos Norte in response to Pagasa's advice, which identified the province as a possible location for heavy rains and strong winds.

In Taiwan, rain had started to batter Taipei as well as the eastern side of the island on Monday afternoon, although Julian was not expected to make landfall until Wednesday.

WITH BENJAMIN L. VERGARA, MOISES CRUZ AND AFP