China's southern coast has been hit by the most powerful typhoon in a decade, as Super Typhoon Yagi made landfall on Hainan Island.
According to BBC, the storm struck Wenchang city in the northeast of Hainan with winds reaching 223 km/h (138 mph) at 16:00 local time on Friday.
Authorities evacuated approximately 400,000 people from Hainan Island to safer ground in anticipation of Yagi's arrival. The typhoon, which has doubled in strength since causing havoc in the northern Philippines earlier this week, is the second strongest of the year and is expected to cause potentially catastrophic damage in Hainan and neighboring Guangdong province.
In preparation for the typhoon, Chinese authorities suspended trains, boats, and flights, while schools were closed. All tourist attractions on the island, known as "China's Hawaii" for its white sand beaches and luxury resorts, have been shut since Wednesday.
Shortly after Yagi made landfall, Hainan experienced widespread power outages affecting about 830,000 households. Emergency teams, consisting of approximately 7,000 personnel, managed to restore power to 260,000 homes by Friday evening. The storm's impact is expected to be severe, with China's weather authority predicting rainfall to reach up to 500mm in some areas.
Meteorologists have classified Yagi as an "extremely dangerous and powerful" super typhoon, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. The Indo-Pacific Tropical Cyclone Warning Center warned of the potential for catastrophic damage upon landfall.
After hitting Hainan, Yagi made a second landfall in Guangdong province on Friday evening, with winds exceeding 200km/h. The storm's approach led to the closure of the world's longest sea crossing, the main bridge linking Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai in Guangdong.
In Hong Kong, the storm's effects were felt as trading at the city's stock exchange was suspended, and schools were closed. While five people were injured due to the extreme weather, authorities reported that overall damage in the city was limited.
Yagi is expected to continue its path toward northern Vietnam, where it is forecasted to make landfall late on Saturday in a weakened state. Vietnamese authorities are preparing for the storm's arrival, with tens of thousands of people in the provinces of Hai Phong and Thai Binh set to be evacuated by the end of Friday.
Hainan is no stranger to typhoons, having experienced 106 since 1949. However, only nine of these were classified as super typhoons, making Yagi a significant event. Chinese authorities believe it to be the strongest typhoon to hit the southern coast in a decade, surpassing Typhoon Rammasun in 2014, which left 46 people dead.
Scientists have linked the increasing strength and frequency of typhoons and hurricanes to climate change. Warmer ocean waters provide more energy to storms, leading to higher wind speeds, while a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, potentially resulting in more intense rainfall.
Vietnam's Deputy Agriculture Minister, Nguyen Hoang Hiep, warned about the possible severe consequences of the storm, stating that any carelessness could lead to significant damage.
The super typhoon Yagi presents a significant challenge to the affected regions, testing their preparedness and resilience. As climate change continues to influence weather patterns, the intensity of such storms may become more common, necessitating improved disaster response strategies and infrastructure. The coming days will reveal the full extent of Yagi's impact and the effectiveness of the measures taken to mitigate its effects across China, Vietnam, and the surrounding areas.
