Nearly a million people are still sheltering at evacuation centres or with relatives after losing their homes or being driven out by floodwaters brought by Severe Tropical Storm Trami, which struck from October 22.

Now the national weather agency says Tropical Storm Kong-rey will bring heavy rain and severe wind to land in coming hours, and cause rough seas off the east coast.

Kong-rey will strengthen into a typhoon by Tuesday and pass close to small Philippine islands in the north as early as Wednesday, the weather service said in a bulletin.

The lowest of a five-stage storm alert is in place on the country's northeast coast.

Trami, by contrast, struck some of the country's most populous areas.

The government's disaster agency put the death toll from Trami at 116, with 39 missing.

"Considering the current movement, a further westward shift in forecast track is not ruled out," it said of the latest storm, which would bring it closer to the country than earlier forecast.

It expects Kong-rey to smash into Taiwan at typhoon strength early Friday.

About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Philippines or its surrounding waters each year, damaging homes and infrastructure and killing dozens of people.