powerful tropical cyclone
\n hong kong
\nHong Kong shut down ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa on Tuesday, the world\u2019s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, with authorities urging people to stay at home, while most passenger flights were due to be suspended until Thursday.
\nPeople piled into supermarkets, leaving little on the shelves, as panic buying set in and residents stocked up on necessities for fear that shops could be closed for two days.
\nWindows in homes and businesses across the city were taped up, with residents hoping it could help reduce the impact of any shattered glass.
\nRagasa, packing hurricane-force winds of up to 220km\/h (137 mph), is posing a \u201csevere threat to the coast of Guangdong\u201d, the Hong Kong Observatory said, referring to the Chinese province that neighbours the financial hub.
\nIt will maintain super typhoon intensity as it edges closer to the coast of Guangdong, and as it impacts Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, after sweeping through the northern Philippines on Monday.
\nHong Kong issued the typhoon signal 8, its third highest, at 2.20 pm (0620 GMT), which urges most businesses and transport services to shut down. More than 700 flights have been disrupted, including in the neighbouring gambling hub of Macau and in Taiwan.
\nThe weather is expected to deteriorate rapidly later on Tuesday and the observatory said it will assess whether to issue a higher warning late on Tuesday or early Wednesday.
\nHurricane-force winds offshore and on high ground were likely in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with heavy rain expected to lead to a significant storm and sea surge in the densely packed city.
\nIt warned of rising sea levels, which it said would be similar to those seen during Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, both of which caused billions of dollars in damage.
\nWater levels will rise about two metres (six feet) along Hong Kong\u2019s coastal areas and maximum water levels could reach four to five metres (12-15 feet) in some areas, the observatory said, urging residents to take appropriate precautions.
\nLocal authorities handed out sandbags for residents to bolster their homes in low-lying areas, while many people stockpiled daily necessities.
\nA 35-year-old resident surnamed Mak said he had already bought some groceries but still needed to get more and was preparing his home for the typhoon.
\n\u201cWe shut the windows and doors closely at home and checked if there is leaking,\u201d he said
\nWhile some businesses were hoping to profit from people working from home, with one bar on the outlying island of Lantau offering 20% off all drinks throughout a T8 signal.
\nHong Kong\u2019s Stock Exchange will remain open. It changed its policy late last year to continue trading whatever the weather.
\nStorm surges
\nAt Ragasa\u2019s peak intensity on Monday, maximum sustained winds near its eye topped 260 kph (162 mph), making it the world\u2019s most powerful Category 5 storm in 2025.
\nThe typhoon has since weakened slightly but is still capable of wreaking havoc on the densely populated Chinese coast as a Category 4 typhoon.Chinese authorities have activated flood control measures in several southern provinces, warning of heavy rain from late on Tuesday.
\nMore than 10 cities in Guangdong, including technology hub Shenzhen and coastal city Zhuhai had suspended work, transport services and schools due to warnings of storm surges and high waves.
\nChina\u2019s Environmental Forecasting centre said that coastal waters off Guangdong would be hit by huge to extremely rough waves with heights of up to seven metres (21 feet).
\nAuthorities in Shenzhen have prepared more than 800 emergency shelters, while in the city\u2019s Nanshan district, teams were chainsawing tree branches along main roads in preparation for the typhoon.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s just the bigger ones where there\u2019s a risk. We\u2019ll be out all afternoon all over the district,\u201d said a worker surnamed Zhang, surrounded by piles of logs from behind a taped-off area of pavement
\nResidents in the world\u2019s largest gambling hub of Macau also braced for significant impact. All its casinos will be forced to shut by 5.00 pm (0900 GMT) when the former Portuguese colony lifts its typhoon signal to 8.
\nTaiwan logged almost 60 cm (24 inches) of rainfall in its mountainous east and reported 25 people injured, while transport disruptions continued for a second day on Tuesday with 273 flights cancelled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
powerful tropical cyclone hong kong Hong Kong shut down ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa on Tuesday, the world\u2019s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, with authorities urging people to stay at home, while most passenger flights were due to be suspended until Thursday. People piled into supermarkets, leaving little on the shelves, as panic buying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":504659,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-504636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n