December 21, 2024

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‘China’s Hawaii’ Hit by the Strongest Typhoon in a Decade

A popular tourist island south of mainland China has been struck by the most powerful typhoon in a decade, bringing potentially catastrophic winds and torrential rain. Super Typhoon Yagi made landfall in Wenchang city on the northeast coast of Hainan Island at 16:00 local time (09:00 BST) on Friday, with winds reaching 223 km/h (138 mph), according to state media.

Yagi is the strongest typhoon to hit Hainan since Typhoon Rammasun in 2014, which resulted in 46 fatalities. China’s weather agency reports that Yagi is the most intense typhoon to make landfall during autumn in recent years.

Ahead of Yagi’s arrival, about 400,000 residents were evacuated, and trains, boats, and flights were suspended, with schools closing as a precaution. Yagi, which intensified after causing destruction in northern Philippines earlier this week, is the second strongest typhoon of the year. Meteorologists warn that Yagi could inflict “catastrophic” damage across Hainan and the neighboring province of Guangdong, the most populous in China.

The Indo-Pacific Tropical Cyclone Warning Center has classified Yagi as an “extremely dangerous and powerful” super typhoon, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. Following its landfall, Hainan experienced widespread power outages affecting approximately 830,000 households. By Friday evening, emergency teams had restored power to 260,000 homes.

Tourist attractions on Hainan, often called “China’s Hawaii” for its white sand beaches and luxury resorts, have been closed since Wednesday due to the storm. The storm also led to the closure of the world’s longest sea bridge linking Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai in Guangdong. Yagi made a second landfall in Guangdong on Friday evening, with winds exceeding 200 km/h, causing heavy rainfall and strong gales throughout the region. Rainfall in some areas is expected to reach up to 500mm.

Hainan is familiar with typhoons, but only nine out of the 106 typhoons that have hit the island since 1949 were classified as super typhoons. Authorities believe Yagi will be the strongest typhoon to impact the southern coast of China in a decade.

In Hong Kong, trading at the stock exchange was suspended, schools were closed, and five people were injured by the extreme weather, though overall damage was limited. Yagi is expected to make landfall in northern Vietnam late on Saturday, though it will be weakened by then. Tens of thousands in Hai Phong and Thai Binh provinces are being evacuated, and the military has mobilized around 460,000 officers to manage the storm’s impact. Vietnam’s deputy agriculture minister warned of potential catastrophic damage if precautions are not taken.

The storm has already caused at least 13 fatalities and extensive damage in northern Philippines earlier this week. Scientists link the increasing intensity and frequency of such storms to climate change, as warmer ocean waters and a more moisture-laden atmosphere contribute to stronger storms and heavier rainfall. Yagi follows Typhoon Shanshan, which struck Japan a week earlier, causing at least six deaths and injuring hundreds.