This sure is quite a storm! Intensity has peaked at 165 knots with gusts to 200 knots and I still do not detect any sign of weakening as Haiyan approaches the central Philippines, although there will be some weakening as the system interacts with Samar and Leyte. I expect winds at landfall to be 145 to 150 knots with the southern shoreline of Samar and the northern area of Leyte from Mayorga to Tacloban City as the landfall target area. The Philippine government has indicated that in those areas a storm surge of up to 5.2 meters is possible and that seems reasonable to me since Leyte Gulf is a large area of shallower waters. Only the fast forward speed of the cyclone at 22 knots to the west northwest prevents the surge from being even higher (a slower speed allows more of a wall of water to build as the storm approaches land). The center of Haiyan should make landfall in northern Leyte at about 08/01GMT.

I finally found a videocam - and its directly in the forecast path of the typhoon. The only question is 'will it get light enough to see anything before the power fails'?
ED

Boracay, P.I., Beachcam