A resident loses her balance as she jumps onto an improvised raft in the flooded village of Arenda in Rizal province, east of Manila, on Friday. (Bullit Marquez/Associated Press)

Residents of the Philippines, still recovering from tropical storms that killed about 1,100 people in the last month, were hit again as Typhoon Mirinae swept ashore on the main island of Luzon.

Mirinae made landfall just after midnight local time Saturday with heavy rain that threatened to set off mudslides.

Strong winds toppled trees and power poles, slowing traffic on some highways, radio stations reported. Manila electric power distributor Meralco said the winds had forced outages in many areas around the capital and nearby areas.

Commuter train service was disrupted, flights at Manila's international airport were cancelled and about 8,000 ferry passengers were stranded as the coast guard halted all vessels.

Authorities closed schools, cancelled ferries and ordered evacuations in preparation for the storm. Army troops mobilized in anticipation of rescue operations and trucks with food and other relief goods were sent to provinces in the typhoon's path.

The storm packed winds of 150 km/h, with gusts up to 185 km/h, said chief government forecaster Nathaniel Cruz.

Mirinae was expected to pass south of the capital of Manila, which bore the brunt of tropical storm Ketsana when it struck on Sept. 26, dumping the heaviest rains in more than four decades and causing flooding and landslides that claimed 464 lives.

Typhoon Parma struck the northern Philippines earlier this month and hovered over the region for 10 days, causing further flooding that led to the deaths of another 465 people.

Another 173 people in and around Manila have since died from a water-borne bacterial disease, and more than one million residents are still living in flooded regions.

About 122,000 people remain in government-run evacuation centres, and many communities in Manila are still under water, with residents travelling on makeshift rafts.

Postpone holiday plans, authorities urge

Mirinae is expected to exit Luzon into the South China Sea later on Saturday.

The storm arrived as millions of Filipinos were heading by boat or bus towards their home provinces on one of the more than 7,000 islands of the archipelago to celebrate All Saints’ weekend, when people visit cemeteries to pay their respects to dead relatives.

Authorities asked people to wait until the storm passes before travelling or visiting the cemeteries, where people traditionally spend a day or even a night, but few appeared to heed the call.

The government's disaster agency told residents to prepare 72-hour survival kits, including food, clothing, first aid, flashlights, batteries and a radio, if available.

With files from The Associated Press