Residents watched in awe as an electrical storm lit up the sky the night before Typhoon Ambo struck the Philippines.

Neighbours gathered in the street in the town of Rodriguez in Rizal province as the lightning flashed across the pitch black sky at around 8pm local time.

The spectacular weather came just hours before Typhoon Ambo, with international name Vongfong, made landfall over Eastern Samar province at 12:15 p.m on May 14 bringing gusts of up to 180kmph.

Eastern Samar and nearby provinces earlier suspended public and private work due to the typhoon that is expected to bring violent winds and heavy rains.

Typhoon Ambo is the first typhoon to hit the country this year in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Millions of locals are still reeling from the economic problems caused by the coronavirus . Many now face being evacuated into shelters amid fears the storm could inflict severe damage.