A strong typhoon was set to wallop the Philippines on Christmas Day, officials warned today, as millions of people criss-cross the mostly Catholic nation to celebrate one of the most important dates on the religious calendar.<br/> <br/>Nock-Ten was expected to be packing winds of up to 194 kilometres an hour and gusts of nearly 241 kilometres an hour when it hit the eastern tip of the archipelago's main island of Luzon on Sunday, the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.<br/><br/>Local weather authorities said the storm could brush past Manila after Christmas Day if it maintained its current path. The main threats were landslides and flash floods from heavy rains, as well as potentially large waves known as storm surges smashing through coastal communities, they said.<br/><br/>The Philippine islands are often the first major landmass to be hit by storms that generate over the Pacific. The Southeast Asian country endures about 20 major storms each year, many of them deadly.