Before the arrival of Typhoon Saola, hundreds of flights were canceled on Friday in the densely populated Guangdong province of China and the neighboring region of Hong Kong. This powerful storm led to the closure of businesses, schools, and even financial markets in some mainland cities.
In the northwest Pacific Ocean and South China Sea, three tropical cyclones had formed. Among them, Saola and Haikui were categorized as typhoons, while Kirogi, the farthest from land, remained a tropical storm.
Saola, with winds exceeding 200 kph (125 mph), is expected to make landfall in Guangdong, which includes Hong Kong. Chinese authorities cautioned that it could rank among the five strongest typhoons to hit Guangdong since 1949.
According to China’s National Meteorological Centre, Saola could make landfall on the coast between the cities of Huidong and Taishan on Friday night or Saturday morning as a severe typhoon. Hong Kong and Macau are situated in the middle of this coastline.
The Hong Kong observatory warned that weather conditions would rapidly deteriorate as the typhoon approached, with storm surges potentially reaching around 3 meters (10 feet) higher than normal tide levels in some areas.
Despite being the first day of the term for many students, all schools in Hong Kong were closed on Friday.
In anticipation of the storm, crowds in downtown Wan Chai district of Hong Kong were seen rushing to fresh food markets, with many vegetables already sold out. Supermarkets experienced long queues as people stocked up.
Cathay Pacific, the flagship carrier of the city, announced the cancellation of all flights to and from Hong Kong between 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Friday and 10 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Saturday.
Authorities suspended all train services to and from Guangdong province from 8 p.m. (1200 GMT) on Friday until 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Saturday. Shenzhen and Guangzhou had already closed schools, with Shenzhen going further by suspending work, businesses, and financial markets from Friday afternoon due to the potential for destructive winds.
The Taishan Nuclear Power plant in Guangdong took precautionary measures, halting outdoor operations and relocating vulnerable materials. Emergency staff were on duty, and all personnel and facilities at the plant were reported as safe.
Macau’s Weather Observatory announced plans to raise its wind warning level to Signal 8 by 2 p.m. on Friday, with the possibility of raising it to the highest Signal 10 early on Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, Typhoon Haikui was approaching Taiwan and expected to make landfall on the island’s east coast on Sunday before moving toward the southern part of China’s Fujian province, as per Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau.
