Hong Kong issues its highest tropical cyclone warning and China’s Hainan and Guangdong provinces have been put on high alert.
Wipha was located about 60km (37 miles) southwest of Hong Kong at around 1pm (05:00 GMT) on Sunday and was moving west towards coastal regions of southern China, according to the latest satellite reports from the United States weather monitor NOAA and Japan’s Himawari.
The Hong Kong observatory issued the T10 hurricane alert, saying “winds with mean speeds of 118kmph (73mph) or more are expected” and pose “considerable threat to Hong Kong”.
“Under the influence of its eyewall, hurricane force winds are affecting the southern part of the territory,” the observatory said, warning the public to “beware of destructive winds”.
Huge waves were spotted off the eastern coast of Hong Kong Island, according to the Reuters news agency.
A representative from Hong Kong’s Airport Authority on Sunday said about 500 flights have been cancelled, while 400 others are scheduled to take off or land later in the day.
China’s Hainan and Guangdong provinces were also put on high alert, according to the state news agency Xinhua. The cities of Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Macao cancelled or delayed all daytime flights on Sunday.
More than 200 people have sought refuge at government-run temporary shelters in Hong Kong. One man sought medical treatment at the emergency room of a public hospital on Sunday morning, with officials receiving more than a dozen reports of fallen trees.
Authorities also suspended Sunday’s classes at all day schools and daycare centres, while trains offered limited services.
Hong Kong last hoisted the T10 warning signal for Super Typhoon Saola in 2023.
Wipha, which in Thai means “splendour”, also passed over the Philippines at tropical storm strength and drenched parts of Taiwan.
The typhoon also intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the Philippines, and two people have been reported missing, according to the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
More than 370,000 people in the Philippines were affected by days of stormy weather, including 43,000 who fled to government-run emergency shelters or homes of relatives due to flooding, landslides and fierce winds.
More than 400 houses were damaged in the onslaught, officials in the Philippines said.
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