China Faces Severe Impact from Super Typhoon Ragasa: Mass Evacuations Underway

Fri Sep 26 2025 15:54:43 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Southern China and Hong Kong brace for Super Typhoon Ragasa, prompting mass evacuations, school closures, and significant flight disruptions as it approaches with catastrophic potential.

As Super Typhoon Ragasa, one of the year's strongest storms, approaches southern China, authorities have ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands, closed schools, and warned of catastrophic conditions. The storm is expected to make landfall in Guangdong province soon, affecting millions across the region. Preparations include inventory shortages in supermarkets and significant flight cancellations.

China has evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and ordered at least 10 cities to close schools and some businesses as the strongest storm of the year bears down on its southern coast.

Hong Kong has upgraded its typhoon warning to eight - just two levels below the maximum - ahead of the arrival of Super Typhoon Ragasa.

The storm is expected to make landfall in China's Guangdong province on Wednesday, where some 370,000 people have been evacuated so far, as authorities warn of a catastrophic situation.

Ragasa has been dubbed the King of Storms by China's meteorological agency and is expected to move towards northern Vietnam in the coming days, potentially affecting millions.

On Tuesday, supermarket shelves in Hong Kong were wiped empty of fresh bread, vegetables, meat, and instant noodles as residents prepared to hunker down.

Hong Kong International Airport said it expected significant disruption to flight operations from 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Tuesday until the next day. More than 500 Cathay Pacific flights are expected to be cancelled, while Hong Kong Airlines said it would stop all departures from the city.

Many residents, particularly those in low-lying areas next to the sea front, have also taped up windows in their homes and businesses, hoping to mitigate potential damage.

Super typhoon Ragasa - equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane - packed wind gusts of up to 285km/h (177mph) at its highest point on Monday and has triggered warnings of floods, storm surges, and landslides across the region this week.

While the island of Taiwan remains largely unscathed, Ragasa lashed through a remote island in the north of the Philippines on Monday, killing at least one person as thousands were evacuated. Schools and government offices were shut in large parts of the country.

It's not yet clear exactly how much climate change has impacted Ragasa specifically, but scientists note that a warming world is expected to intensify storm activity in the future, leading to higher wind speeds, heavier rainfall, and increased risk of coastal flooding.