Powerful Typhoon Yagi devastates Hong Kong and makes landfall in China’s Hainan province

Hong Kong:Super Typhoon Yagi, considered Asia’s strongest storm this year, brought heavy rain and huge wind gusts to Hong Kong before making landfall on the coast of China’s Hainan province on Friday, bringing various aspects of life to a standstill. Yagi had maximum sustained winds of 234 km/h near its center and was recorded as the world’s second-most powerful tropical cyclone in 2024 so far, after Hurricane Beryl.

Yagi forced more than 250 people to seek refuge in temporary government shelters and prompted the cancellation of more than 100 flights in the city, while schools and businesses remained closed on Friday. Typhoon 8’s signal, the third highest, dropped at 12:40 p.m. (local time), the Hong Kong observatory said, and winds over the city are expected to gradually weaken as Yagi moves away.

Hong Kong’s airport authority said operations had largely returned to normal after 50 flights were cancelled on Thursday, and the city also lowered its third-highest Typhoon 8 warning by one level after midday, with winds expected to gradually weaken as Yagi moves away, allowing businesses to reopen. The world’s longest sea crossing, the main bridge linking Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai in Guangdong, also reopened on Friday afternoon.

What is Typhoon Yagi?

Yagi is the most severe storm to make landfall in Hainan since 2014, when Typhoon Rammasun hit the island province as a Category 5 tropical cyclone. Rammasun killed 88 people in Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan and caused economic losses of more than 44 billion yuan ($6.25 billion). Its landfall in Hainan is rare, as most typhoons that make landfall on the duty-free island are classified as weak.

However, Hong Kong residents told Reuters the storm’s impact was milder. “This typhoon did not hit Hong Kong directly and its winds were not as strong as Typhoon Mangkhut. It was more intense when I was sleeping last night because I could hear sounds from outside. But this morning it had already disappeared and I was very weak,” said Sui Cheung, 51.

Yagi, which strengthened into a super typhoon on Wednesday night, is named after the Japanese word for goat and the constellation Capricorn, a mythical creature that is half goat and half fish. Yagi formed over warm seas east of the Philippines and followed a similar path to Rammasun. It hit China as a Category 4 typhoon, packing winds strong enough to overturn vehicles, uproot trees and severely damage roads, bridges and buildings.

Yagi missile to attack Vietnam soon

Yagi, having doubled in power since killing 16 people in the northern Philippines earlier this week, slammed into the city of Wenchang on Hainan island. In Hainan’s capital, Haikou, streets were deserted and people stayed indoors, photos on social media showed.

The typhoon has closed schools, businesses and transport links in Hong Kong, Macau, Hainan and Guangdong, as well as airports in Vietnam, where it is expected to hit, along with Laos, over the weekend. Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority said four airports in the north, including Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, will be closed on Saturday due to the storm.

According to scientists, typhoons are becoming stronger, fueled by warming oceans and amid climate change. Last month, Typhoon Shanshan, considered one of the worst storms to hit the region, made landfall in southwestern Japan, leaving seven dead and causing widespread damage in parts of the country.

(with contributions from agencies)

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