Super Typhoon Yagi, one of 2024’s most powerful storms, heads toward China

The worst of the storm will probably pass south of Hong Kong. However, the Hong Kong Observatory, which provides forecasts and warnings for the city, has issued its third-highest typhoon signal, 8. It wrote that “violent gusts” and intense rainbands capable of producing flooding are possible through noon Friday. Ahead of the storm, winds had already gusted up to 86 mph in the area.

The storm underwent what the Joint Typhoon Warning Center at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, called “an impressive period of extreme rapid intensification” late Wednesday into Thursday local time. Its maximum sustained winds jumped 70 mph in just 24 hours. After briefly weakening thereafter, it regained some strength early Friday.

Maximum sustained winds predawn Friday were listed at 150 mph by the center, with gusts over 180 mph. Yagi was centered about 200 miles south of Hong Kong, pushing west toward Guangdong and Hainan. It was expected to come ashore somewhere near the Qiongzhou Strait on Friday afternoon. That’s the body of water between Hainan, a Chinese island south of the mainland, and the Leizhou Peninsula, part of Guangdong province to the north.

The meteorological bureau of Shenzhen municipality has hoisted typhoon warnings, writing that “the state of typhoon defense is triggered.”

“Emergency shelters shall be open. Residents shall stay in safe places for temporary shelter,” the agency advised. “Employers shall adopt a flexible arrangement such as postponing, leaving earlier or suspending operation. … Relevant emergency response departments and rescue units shall be well prepared.”

The storm peaked in strength on Thursday morning with winds of 155 mph — just 2 mph shy of Category 5-equivalent status but qualifying as a super typhoon; a storm is considered a super typhoon when its peak winds reach 150 mph. Yagi’s air pressure briefly dropped to 915 millibars — making it the most intense storm in the South China Sea in 55 years.

Yagi became the second-strongest storm of 2024 globally, behind only Hurricane Beryl, which peaked as a Category 5 with 165 mph winds in the eastern Caribbean on July 2.

In Guangdong and Hainan, local officials said it could be the strongest typhoon to hit the region in 10 years. The two provinces have upgraded their emergency response to the highest level, shutting down schools and offices in several cities on Thursday.

By Friday afternoon, Yagi is forecast to weaken modestly but is still predicted to strike land with maximum sustained winds between 115 and 130 mph — making it the equivalent of a Category 3.

The region is no stranger to strong typhoons. On July 18, 2014, Rammasun, a high-end Category 4-equivalent typhoon with 145 mph winds, made landfall near Xuwen, China.

There’s an increasing chance that Yagi’s more westerly movement, which has caused it to track a bit south of forecasts, could bring more direct impacts to Hainan’s provincial capital, Haikou, which is home to 3 million residents. Haikou might end up in the western eyewall of Yagi — or the innermost ring of destructive winds and heavy rain encircling the typhoon’s eye.

Authorities in Hainan evacuated more than 3,000 residents living in low-lying areas as a precaution before the typhoon arrived, underscoring the level of concern about the storm. The city’s airport has canceled all flights from Thursday evening through Friday, while Hainan’s high-speed rail and some parts of the Guangdong railways will suspend operations through Saturday.

According to the China Meteorological Center, as of Thursday afternoon, Yagi’s maximum winds surpassed those of Typhoon Gaemi, which that caused severe floods and landslides in China, Taiwan and the Philippines, killing dozens in the region in July. In the most-affected areas, rainfall is expected to hit 2 feet, while waves could reach as high as 32 feet.

North of Yagi’s center, onshore flow may bring a storm surge — or rise in ocean water above normally dry land — of two meters, or more than six feet, to southern Xuwen County. Depending on the exact track that Yagi takes, seawater could be funneled into the Qiongzhou Strait, leading to surge impacts in Haikou.

In Guangdong, more than 80,000 fishing boats have taken shelter at the ports as authorities ordered all the vessels to return to the shore ahead of the typhoon’s landfall. Public events and gatherings have been canceled, and authorities have advised residents to stay indoors unless necessary.

“Yagi could cause catastrophic damage to the northeastern coastal areas of Hainan upon landfall, and preparations for large-scale evacuation of people near the landfall point must be made,” said Li Xun, the director of the Hainan Meteorological Observatory, at a news conference Wednesday. He warned that its impact could surpass Rammasun, which killed 19 people and affected 3.6 million in the province in 2014.

China has been experiencing an increased frequency of extreme weather events in recent years as heat waves and summer storms have raised concerns among Chinese officials about the country’s vulnerability to worsening weather related to climate change.

The country has already been battling severe and deadly floods in several provinces in recent months. In northwestern Qinghai province, weather stations recorded the heaviest rainfall on Wednesday since data collection began in 1954. Meanwhile, a heat wave along the Yangtze River has led to record-breaking high temperatures in cities such as Nanchang, forcing local governments to postpone the start of the school year this week.

As Yagi passed through the Philippines earlier this week as a tropical storm known locally as Enteng, it killed at least 13 people, according to Reuters. After sweeping past Guangdong and Hainan, Yagi is forecast to reach Vietnam as a low-end typhoon or tropical storm this weekend.

Matthew Cappucci reported from Washington. Jason Samenow in Washington contributed to this report.