China is on high alert as Super Typhoon Ragasa—one of the strongest storms in recent years—barrels toward its southern coast. With sustained winds near 230 km/h, the typhoon has already claimed three lives and displaced thousands in the Philippines. Now, cities across Guangdong and Hainan provinces are scaling back daily life in anticipation of landfall between Shenzhen and Xuwen County on Wednesday.
Closures and Cancellations
- Schools shut down in Hong Kong, Macao, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Haikou.
- Flight operations suspended, with hundreds of flights cancelled in Hong Kong and Shenzhen airport halting all services from Tuesday night.
- Emergency protocols activated in Macao, expecting Ragasa to pass within 100 km of the city.
Storm Surge and Flood Risk
- Water levels in Hong Kong could rise by 2 to 5 meters, echoing the devastation of Typhoon Hato (2017) and Mangkhut (2018), which caused combined losses of over USD 744 million.
- Residents in flood-prone zones have placed sandbags, taped windows, and stocked up on essentials as market shelves empty rapidly.
Meteorological Forecast
- Ragasa is moving west-northwest at 22 km/h across the northern South China Sea.
- Hong Kong’s observatory has hoisted storm warning signal No. 8, the third-highest alert, with potential escalation overnight.
- The city categorizes cyclones with winds above 185 km/h as “super typhoons,” urging heightened vigilance.