
Hong Kong Lowers Storm Alert as Typhoon Wipha Moves West
The Hong Kong Observatory lowered the signal to No. 8 at 4:10 p.m. local time. Wipha was forecast to move west at about 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) per hour across the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary, toward the coast of western Guangdong province in China, the weather agency said on its website.
Wipha will likely make landfall along the coastal area in China's southern Guangdong province late Sunday, affecting the cities of Zhuhai and Zhanjiang, a local weather bureau said. Nearly 280,000 people in Guangdong had been relocated as of 9 p.m. Saturday, according to a state media report.
Cathay Pacific said in a statement that departing flights would resume from approximately 6 p.m. Sunday. The airline had earlier delayed or canceled all flights scheduled to arrive at or depart from Hong Kong between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. It added that further flight delays and cancellations may be required based on weather conditions and the typhoon's path.
Airport Authority Hong Kong said on its website that operations are expected to be affected by the typhoon and that it has activated its emergency center. The Education Bureau suspended all special classes and other school events on Sunday.
Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said in a statement that 21 people had sought medical treatment during the typhoon.
In neighboring Macau, the government planned to lower its alert signal at 5 p.m. local time, according to the city's meteorological bureau. Major hotels in the city including the Venetian, the Parisian, the Londoner and the Four Seasons remained open.
In Vietnam, 38 people died in Halong Bay, in the northern part of the country after a boat capsized on Saturday afternoon amid bad weather, according to a post on the Vietnamese government's website. Dozens of flights were canceled and rerouted as the storm was forecast to hit Vietnam's northern provinces from Quang Ninh to Thanh Hoa, according to a separate post on the government's website.
The Philippines' government, meanwhile, warned heavy rains of up to 200 millimeters (7.87 inches) may persist until Tuesday in the main island of Luzon. Three people were left dead by the storm, three are missing, while more than 370,000 people were affected.
Hong Kong last raised its No. 10 signal in September 2023 when it was pummeled by Typhoon Saola, which caused flooding across the territory.
The city's stock exchange ended its decades-old tradition of shutting during storms of signal No. 8 or above last year. The practice had became increasingly questioned during the pandemic, when widespread work-from-home setups showed little hindrance to trading.
--With assistance from Emma Dong, Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen and Karl Lester M. Yap.
(Updates with latest news throughout)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
More Than 132 Million Face Wilting Heat Across Eastern US
(Bloomberg) -- More than 132 million people across the central and eastern US are facing blistering temperatures to start the week, with rising humidity making it feel even worse and putting a strain on the energy grid as air conditioners and fans get a workout. Heat advisories or excessive-heat warnings have been issued from Nebraska to Massachusetts and from North Dakota to Florida, covering all or part of 29 states and more than 38% of the US population, according to the National Weather Service. Sweltering conditions will peak today and Monday before gradually easing. The US Southeast will be the last to get some relief, later in the week or next. 'It's miserable but the end is near,' said Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. 'A couple of days to go, maybe more than a couple of days if you are in the Southeast.' Heat threatens human life, as well as stressing electric grids and transportation networks. From 1979 to 2022 more than 14,000 Americans died from heat-related causes, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. A wide area of the US faces a moderate heat risk Sunday, with as many as 88.4 million people under a major threat and 10.8 million enduring extreme conditions, mainly along the eastern seaboard from Washington to Florida, the weather service said. The high temperatures, made worse by humidity, have set a smattering of records, particularly in the Southeast. Charlotte, North Carolina, hit a high of 101F (38C) Saturday. Sixty more records may be breached or tied in coming days. In New York City, temperatures will likely peak Tuesday at 94F but with humidity may feel closer to 105F, the weather service said. In Washington, readings are forecast to reach 98F Tuesday and 99F Wednesday. Utilities are gearing up for continued high demand. PJM Interconnection LLC, a grid operator that moves electricity across 13 states and the District of Columbia, issued hot weather alerts for its Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions Sunday and for its entire operating area on Monday. The heat will start to ease as a weather front pushes south, leaving lower temperatures and milder humidity in its wake, Hurley said. In a week, a large part of the central and eastern US will likely be cooler than normal for early August, according to the US Climate Prediction Center. In addition to the heat, ground-level ozone parts of New York and New Jersey may make breathing difficult for the young, the elderly and people with respiratory or heart conditions, the weather service said. Further north, across Upstate New York and New England, smoke from Canadian forest fires is also harming air quality. Much of that threat should start to diminish in the coming days, Hurley said. More stories like this are available on

The Hindu
11 hours ago
- The Hindu
Two major landslips hit Munnar in Idukki; one dies
Two major landslips occurred near the old Government College near Munnar hill station on the Kochi-Danushkodi National Highway (NH) on Saturday night and early on Sunday (July 26 and 27, 2025). According to the Revenue Department officials, the first landslip occurred at around 10 p.m. on Saturday. A moving lorry was trapped under the debris and thevehicle driver Ganeshan (58), a resident of Munnnar Anthoniyar Nager, died and helper Murukan (50) sustained injuries. For more stories on Kerala, click here Devikulam sub-Collector V.M. Jayakrishnan told The Hindu that another major landslip occurred at the same spot at around 5 a.m. on Sunday (July 27, 2025). 'A large amount of soil fell from the spot of the old government college and filled he road. The soil and rocks that filled the road are around 20 metes wide and one metre high,' the official said. 'To resume the traffic on the road, the soil and debris should be removed and it will take one or two days. It was directed to the officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to clear the soil and rock from the road. The NH authority informed us that they need to arrange for excavators to remove the soil from the Highway. Meanwhile, the NHAI engineer informed us that there is a higher chance of another mudslide at the spot. The debris clearing works will begin while considering the weather conditions in the area,' Mr. Jayakrishnan said. Kerala rains: Cyclone Wipha likely to bring heavy rain across State; orange alert for two districts, yellow for seven The official further stated that the district administration had temporarily suspended traffic on the Munnar-Bodimettu stretch of the Highway through Devikulam until further notice. According to the Revenue Department officials, the Munnar hill station has witnessed hefty rainfall for the past several days. According to the Idukki district administration, Munnar, including Devikulam Thaluk, has received 150 mm of rainfall over the past 24 hours. The Idukki district administration on Saturday (July 26, 2025) suspended the roadside parking on Sunday (July 27, 2025) on the Gap Road stretch of the Highway. Kerala rains: Heavy rainfall forecast in State for five days In the August 2018 floods, the area witnessed a major landslip, which damaged a building at the Government Arts College that was in operation there. The college building was destroyed when a portion of the hill behind it caved in on August 16, 2018. Following the incident, the college was shifted to another site. The latest mudslide poses a security threat to another building on the former college campus.

The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Rain triggers a trail of destruction; train services halted at Alappuzha; Orange alert for seven districts on Saturday
The heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds that has been lashing parts of the State is likely to continue for a couple of more days, fuelled by the weather systems in the Bay of Bengal and the offshore trough formed along the west coast of the country. Around 129 weather stations under the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported rain during the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday. The areas close to the Western Ghats have witnessed heavy rainfall, with Munnar in Idukki and Ambalavayal in Wayanad and Ayyankunnu in Kannur registering the highest rainfall of 9 cm each during the last 24 hours, followed by Peerumedu (8 cm) and Udumbannoor, Cheruthoni and Vellathooval in Idukki (7 cm each). Strong winds with speeds above 20 knots are also prevailing over Kerala. The speed of the wind clocked 67 kmph in the manual weather station at Ernakulam, followed by 65 kmph in the automatic weather stations at Pathanamthitta and Thrissur and 63 kmph in Palakkad. The train traffic to Ernakulam from Thiruvananthapuram via Alappuzha was disrupted after an uprooted tree fell on the overhead electric lines on the tracks near Mararikulam in Alappuzha by 8.30 a.m. The trains through the stretch have been detained at various stations, including the Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi. The incidents of uprooted trees damaging houses and blocking the arterial roads have been reported in the hilly areas of the State. Meanwhile, the IMD issued an orange alert for seven districts — Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram — on Saturday, warning of very heavy rainfall during the next 24 hours, while the rest of the State was put on a yellow alert, where isolated heavy rainfall is likely. Cyclone Wipha The low-pressure area that formed over the Bay of Bengal under the influence of the remnants of tropical Cyclone Wipha has intensified into a well-marked low-pressure system on Saturday. In addition, an offshore trough runs along the west coast up to the coast of Kerala, drawing moisture-laden air from the Arabian Sea. The wind that returns after hitting the Western Ghats and is unable to climb over the mountains causes the formation of offshore vortices along the coast, triggering heavy spells, especially in the Ghats regions. However, the rain is likely to subside after a couple of days in tune with the weakening of the weather system in the Bay of Bengal.