HONG KONG – Powerful gales and heavy rain from Super Typhoon Yagi drenched southern China on Sept 6, with schools shut for a second day and flights cancelled as one of the strongest storms to hit Asia this year headed for landfall along Hainan’s tropical coast.
Packing maximum sustained winds of 245kmh near its eye, Yagi registers as the world’s second-most powerful tropical cyclone in 2024 so far, after the Category 5 Atlantic hurricane Beryl.
More than doubling in strength since devastating northern Philippines earlier this week, Yagi is expected to make landfall along China’s coast from Wenchang in Hainan to Leizhou, Guangdong from Sept 6 afternoon.
Winds and rain were accompanied by powerful thunder and lightening across the region overnight and on Sept 6 morning.
Transport links across southern China were mostly shuttered on Sept 6 with many flights cancelled in Hainan, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. The world’s longest sea crossing, the main bridge linking Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai in Guangdong, was also closed.
In the financial hub of Hong Kong, the stock exchange was shuttered while schools remained closed.
The typhoon 8 signal, the third highest, would be in place until at least 12pm on Sept 6, Hong Kong’s observatory said, meaning many businesses would remain shut and transport will be significantly reduced.
“Intense rainbands associated with Yagi will bring heavy squally showers to the territory,” it said, warning residents to stay away from the shoreline.
China’s government sent task forces to Guangdong and Hainan to guide flood and typhoon prevention, official news agency Xinhua said.
Super Typhoon Yagi slams southern China, shutting schools and cancelling flights
