Typhoon Wipha batters southern China, cancels hundreds of flights

UPI

5 days ago

July 20 (UPI) -- Typhoon Wipha slammed ashore along the southern Chinese coast Sunday evening, after drenching Hong Kong and Macau with heavy rain and whipping wind, the Guangdong meteorological service said.
The storm made landfall around 5:50 pm local time with the strength of a Category 1 hurricane and weakened to a tropical storm by Sunday night as it continued to move to the West and South, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.
Wipha is the sixth named storm of the year, and packed 106 mph sustained winds, heavy rain and sea swells as it brushed the southern edge of Hong Kong, the meteorological service said.
The storm is expected to dump heavy rain on the Pearl River Estuary throughout the day on Monday.
Hong Kong issued the highest level warning alert as the storm approached, the first time since 2023 that a No. 10 hurricane signal has been used. The warning level was downgraded as the storm moved away from the city.
More than 400 flights were rescheduled at Hong Kong's international airport, and at least 200 were canceled at Macau International Airport, a local broadcaster reported.
Wipha also promoted some southern Chinese cities, ports and workplaces to close their doors. Heavy downpours also created local flooding and prompted widespread road closures in some areas.
At least 26 people have been treated for storm-related injuries, and heavy winds downed more than 470 trees. More than 250 people sought safety in government shelters.
Travelers began to re-enter the airport as the storm warning was downgraded and the Hong Kong airport said it would operate overnight on heightened storm alert status.
Wipha is expected to drift toward Vietnam where it is projected to make landfall later in the week, the meteorological service said.