Typhoon Lupit weakened to a tropical storm on Friday, remaining almost stationary near the northern provinces of the Philippines while grazing the islands' coasts with winds and rain.

Originally expected to hit the Philippines on Thursday, forecasters now predict Saturday or Sunday to be a possible landfall date for Lupit, whose winds have dropped by nearly 40 percent to 65 miles per hour with gusts up to 81 mph.

Not taking any chances, the Philippine government has already evacuated nearly 2,500 residents from potential danger zones including coastal villages and settlements along the Cagayan River.

"Almost all of those living in areas that were identified as danger zones have now been evacuated," government official Alvaro Antonio told local sources. "There are still a few [left], but the [local governments] are hands-on in convincing them to evacuate."

The precautions come as recovery efforts continue for Typhoons Ketsana and Parma, which just weeks ago caused the worst flooding in the country in over 40 years. The two storms, whose aftershocks have included food shortages and outbreaks of diseases, have claimed the lives of 920 people to date and destroyed over $600 million worth of property.

Known as a "welcome mat" for Typhoons in the Pacific, the Philippines are hit with nearly 20 storms anually. Lupit, whose name means "cruel" in Filipino, will be the 18th storm to hit the country this year.