Super Typhoon Yagi barreled toward southern China on Friday, forcing school and business closures, disrupting travel and raising alarms about the risks of landslides and flooding ahead of its expected landfall in the evening.
Yagi had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph on Friday afternoon, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane, according to the U.S. Navy. Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. It was about 65 miles east of the city of Wenchang in Henan province, according to China National Meteorological Center.
The super typhoon, one of the most powerful typhoons of 2024, was forecast to make landfall in Henan on Friday evening, the Chinese center said. It will be the most powerful typhoon to hit Hainan in a decadebefore crossing the Gulf of Tonkin and making landfall again as a weak typhoon in northern Vietnam on Saturday afternoon.
Heavy rains in southern China began on Thursday and were expected to last until Sunday, forecasters said. Parts of Henan and Guangdong provinces will receive more than 20 inches of rain in one day, National Meteorological Center said.
Guangdong, Henan and Guangxi provinces raised their emergency response to the highest level, warning residents of landslide and flood risks. National task forces were sent to Guangdong and Hainan to help prepare for severe weather.
Henan authorities asked residents not to leave their homes and ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses, markets, public transport, schools and tourist spots. The province evacuated more than 20,000 residents and 76,000 shipment workers.
Guangdong’s transport department has closed six highways and a major bridge connecting Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai. In Hainan, Haikou Milan International Airport canceled all flights scheduled for Friday.
The storm turned toward Hong Kong, where the stock market was closed on Friday, and Hong Kong Observatory warned of the risk of strong winds, urging residents to stay away from the coast.
The Vietnamese government also prepared for the storm, urging ships to return to shore, evacuating residents and tourists from the islands and issuing minimal orders. Four airports To suspend arrivals and departures on Fridays, State media informed.
Yagi, J At least 16 people were killed Earlier this week in the Philippines, it became a super typhoon after a “period of extremely rapid intensification” in the South China Sea, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The Center defines a super typhoon as a tropical cyclone with winds of 150 mph or greater in the western North Pacific.
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