Storm Yagi, one of many world’s strongest storms this yr, made landfall in China’s Hainan island on Friday, drenching its southern coast.
Lots of of 1000’s of individuals had been evacuated in Hainan, colleges had been shut, buying and selling was halted and flights cancelled in Hong Kong and Macau with the tremendous typhoon bringing excessive winds and rain to the area, having already left a trail of devastation in the Philippines.
The storm’s windspeeds reached 245kmph, making Yagi the second-most highly effective tropical cyclone anyplace on the earth for 2024.
Follow the latest updates on Super Typhoon Yagi
The attention of storm reached the northern tip of Hainan island on Friday, climate maps confirmed.
It’s anticipated to influence a big swathe of China earlier than shifting off in direction of Vietnam and Laos over the weekend.
Hainan had relocated 419,367 residents, transport hyperlinks and companies have been shut throughout the area, together with the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge, the world’s longest sea crossing.
The storm additionally closed the Hong Kong Inventory Alternate.
The hurricane’s path, as charted by the Japanese Meteorological Company, reveals the storm crossing Hainan after which shifting in direction of northern Vietnam for one more landfall.
4 airports in northern Vietnam, together with Hanoi’s Noi Bai Worldwide Airport, have been shut. Together with Vietnam, Laos and Thailand are additionally bracing for its influence over the weekend because the outer bands of the hurricane deliver rainfall and wind gusts.
The extreme tropical storm intensified into an excellent hurricane on Thursday morning with wind gusts exceeding 160mph, making it a Class 5 equal hurricane by varied classifications, and a “violent hurricane” in line with the Japan Meteorological Company (JMA) – its highest storm classification.
The storm has already claimed not less than 16 lives within the Philippines, inflicting heavy rainfall and landslides earlier than shifting in direction of the west.
Within the Philippines, the place the storm is regionally often called Enteng, the injury has been extreme. Landslides, floods, and powerful winds have brought on widespread destruction, significantly within the northern areas.
Within the vacationer metropolis of Antipolo a landslide killed three individuals, together with a pregnant lady, whereas floodwaters claimed the lives of 4 others. The storm additionally brought on intensive disruption to transportation, with flights cancelled and sea journey suspended, leaving 1000’s stranded.
