Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in southern China on Monday as Tropical Storm Tapah made landfall after battering Hong Kong with gale-force winds and heavy rain, prompting school closures, and cancelling flights.
The storm struck Taishan in Guangdong province on Monday morning, bringing sustained winds of more than 100kmph and gusts of up to 150kmph. State broadcaster CCTV reported that over 36,000 people were moved to safety in coastal areas, with ferries suspended and hundreds of flights grounded across Guangdong and neighbouring Guangxi.
In Hong Kong, authorities raised the typhoon signal to No 8, the city’s third-highest warning, forcing most businesses to remain shut.
Public transport was largely suspended, with buses, ferries and trams halted and trains running at longer intervals. The city’s education bureau said schools would stay closed for the day, even if the storm signal was later lowered.
Hong Kong’s observatory said the storm passed about 170km southwest of the territory at its closest, lashing the financial hub with rain bands and strong winds that flipped umbrellas and rattled scaffolding on building sites. Authorities also issued an amber rainstorm warning, the lowest in its three-tier system, early on Monday.
Airlines cancelled dozens of flights from Hong Kong International Airport, where wind speeds of 101kmph were recorded, with gusts reaching 151kmph. Airlines warned of further disruption through the day as the storm tracked west.
In Shenzhen, local officials ordered schools to close and warned residents to stay indoors. Coastal cities in Guangdong province suspended port operations and deployed emergency crews to monitor rivers for flooding.
By late morning, Tapah was moving inland across southern China, weakening as it tracked northwest. China’s national meteorological centre said parts of Guangdong and Guangxi could still face flash floods and landslides from the torrential rain, which was forecast to persist into Tuesday.
Despite the disruption, early reports suggested damage in Hong Kong was limited. Streets were mostly quiet with only scattered debris, and there were no immediate reports of landslides or major flooding. Emergency services remained on alert as the city is prone to slope failures during heavy downpours.
In China, however, officials warned that rivers swollen by weeks of summer rain could worsen flooding. More than 200 emergency shelters were opened in Guangdong, and engineers were dispatched to secure reservoirs and power facilities.
Tropical Storm Tapah is the latest in a series of weather systems to hit East Asia during this year’s storm season. The South China Sea and western Pacific typically generate several powerful cyclones between June and October, fuelled by warm ocean waters.
