Hong Kong hit by strong winds, heavy rain as Typhoon Wipha skirts past
Wipha was located around 140 kilometres (87 miles) to Hong Kong's southwest as of 5 pm (0900 GMT), according to the city's weather observatory.
Hong Kong's highest tropical cyclone warning, T10, was in effect for around seven hours but was downgraded to the third-highest T8 warning at 4:10 pm as Wipha departed the city.
"Gale to storm force southeasterly winds are still affecting parts of the territory occasionally," the observatory said.
"The intense rainbands of Wipha are persistently affecting the vicinity of Pearl River Estuary."
Neighbouring casino hub Macau issued its own top-level typhoon warning shortly after noon, with authorities suspending all public transportation services.
China's Hainan and Guangdong provinces were earlier put on high alert, according to state news agency Xinhua.
In Hong Kong, more than 250 people sought refuge at government-run temporary shelters.
Officials said they received more than 450 reports of fallen trees and a handful of flooding reports, including at a main thoroughfare in the Wong Tai Sin district.
A representative from Hong Kong's Airport Authority earlier said that around 500 flights have been cancelled due to the weather, while around 400 flights were scheduled to take off or land later in the day.
Authorities suspended Sunday's classes at all day schools and daycare centres.
Local trains offered limited services while operations in open sections were suspended.
Wipha also brought heavy rains and flooding to the Philippines, where two people have been reported missing, according to the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Hong Kong last hoisted the T10 warning signal for Super Typhoon Saola in 2023.
hol/lb
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Beijing Urges Residents Indoors as Foot of Rain Looms Overnight
Authorities in Beijing warned that parts of the Chinese capital could see more than 300 millimeters (12 inches) of rain on Monday evening, urging residents to stay indoors. The city's emergency management bureau issued a red rainstorm signal, the highest in its four-step warning system, at noon local time. Rains are expected to intensify beginning at 8 p.m., raising the risk of landslides in mountainous areas and waterlogging elsewhere as precipitation falls on already-soaked ground. The national weather bureau has warned of a high risk of river floods and flash floods in parts of northern Beijing.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Heavy rains in northern China kill 4 as Beijing and neighboring areas issue flood warnings
BEIJING — Heavy rains and flooding in northern China killed four people while others remain missing, officials said Monday, amid flood warnings and evacuations. The victims were caught in a landslide in a rural part of Luanping county in the province of Hebei, which borders the capital, Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Eight remain missing. A local resident told the state-backed Beijing News that communications were down and he couldn't reach his relatives.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Four dead and eight missing after torrential rain causes landslide in northern China
Four people died and eight were missing after a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall struck Luanping in northern China's Hebei province, CCTV reported on Monday. Rescue efforts were underway, the state broadcaster said. The landslide followed an intense overnight downpour in Fuping, a county in the industrial city of Baoding, where rainfall reached a record 145mm per hour. Torrential rainfall intensified across Beijing and surrounding provinces in northern China on Monday, heightening the threat of floods and landslides and prompting the evacuation of over 4,400 residents, authorities said. Last week, Typhoon Wipha wreaked havoc across China, killing dozens of people, uprooting trees, causing landslides, and leaving thousands without power. Wipha battered cities such as Yangjiang, Zhanjiang and Maoming with winds of over 118kmph and torrential rain before making landfall in southern Guangdong province last Sunday. In Beijing's Miyun district, relentless downpours triggered flash floods, impacting several villages, CCTV said on Monday. Images shared on China's WeChat platform showed vehicles drifting along submerged roads, with floodwaters rising high enough to partially engulf residential buildings. Hebei is facing some of its heaviest and most devastating rainfall in recent years, setting off deadly landslides, flash floods, and large-scale evacuations. Relentless rains began sweeping through Hebei, Tianjin, and Shanxi in northern China in early July, triggering widespread flood warnings. But it is the latter half of the month that has seen the worst of the deluge. Power outages have impacted over 10,000 residents in the region, according to CCTV. Northern China in general has faced unprecedented rainfall in recent years, placing densely populated areas like Beijing at heightened risk of flooding. Some researchers attribute this surge in rainfall, especially in the typically arid north, to the effects of global warming. The recent storms form part of a broader pattern of extreme weather events linked to the East Asian monsoon, which continues to disrupt daily life and economic activity across the world's second-largest economy. Among the hardest hit areas from the latest rainfall was Xiwanzi Village in Shicheng town, near the Miyun reservoir, where authorities relocated more than 100 villagers to a local primary school for shelter, authorities said on Monday. Authorities in Beijing reported the Miyun reservoir had reached an unprecedented inflow peak of 6,550 cubic metres per second, the highest on record. Meanwhile, the neighbouring province of Shanxi experienced severe flooding, with state media footage showing powerful torrents sweeping across roads and submerging fields, trees and crops. In Beijing's Pinggu district, two sections of a road deemed high-risk were closed off as a precaution. Emergency crews have been deployed in several cities for rescue operations, including in Datong, where contact was lost with a motorist caught in the floods while driving a Ford, according to the People's Daily. China's water resources ministry has issued targeted flood alerts for 11 provinces and regions, among them Beijing and Hebei, warning of the potential for flash floods from smaller rivers and mountainous runoff. In response to the crisis, authorities have announced an emergency relief fund to assist Hebei with infrastructure repairs. The money will go towards rebuilding damaged roads, bridges, embankments, and public facilities like schools and hospitals. In July last year, China's seasonal 'plum rains' – so named for their timing with the ripening of plums – inflicted over $10bn in economic damage.
