A huge and powerful typhoon is headed toward southern China after lashing the Philippines with destructive winds and torrential rain, putting the region’s megacities on high alert with cancelled flights and disruptions to schools and businesses.

A tropical storm blew out of the central Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 10 dead, knocking down trees and power and prompting the evacuation of more than 433,000 people from landslide- and flood-prone villages long battered by typhoons.