Hong Kong issues highest storm warning as Typhoon Wipha approaches
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BEIJING – Hong Kong issued its highest tropical cyclone warning on the morning of July 20 as Typhoon Wipha battered the city, with the authorities cancelling classes and grounding hundreds of flights.
Wipha was located around 60km south-east of Hong Kong as at 10am local time, according to the city’s weather observatory.
Reuters reported that it was packing winds of more than 167kmh.
Huge waves were spotted off the eastern coast of Hong Kong Island.
The observatory has issued the T10 hurricane alert, saying “winds with mean speeds of 118kmh or more are expected” and pose “considerable threat to Hong Kong”.
“Under the influence of its eyewall, hurricane force winds are affecting the southern part of the territory,” the observatory said, warning the public to “beware of destructive winds”.
China’s Hainan and Guangdong provinces were also put on high alert, state news agency Xinhua said on July 19.
A representative of Hong Kong’s Airport Authority said on July 20 that around 500 flights had been cancelled due to weather, while around 400 flights were scheduled to take off or land later in the day.
Cathay Pacific Airways cancelled all of its flights arriving or departing Hong Kong airport between 5am and 6om on July 20. It waived fees for ticket changes and made arrangements for customers to rebook their flights.
More than 200 people have sought refuge at government-run temporary shelters.
One man sought medical treatment at the emergency room of a public hospital on the morning of July 20, with officials receiving more than a dozen reports of fallen trees.
The authorities suspended classes at all schools and daycare centres.
Local trains offered limited services, while operations in open sections were suspended.
In neighbouring Macau, the government planned to raise its alert to the No. 10 signal at 12:30pm local time, according to the Government Information Bureau’s website. Major hotels in the city, including the Venetian, the Parisian, the Londoner and the Four Seasons, plan to remain open.
Wipha brought heavy rains and flooding to the Philippines and two people have been reported missing, according to the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. 38 people died in Halong Bay
The Philippine government warned that heavy rains of up to 200mm might persist until July 22 on the main island of Luzon. Three people were left dead by the storm and three were missing, while more than 370,000 persons were affected.
In Vietnam,
Hong Kong last hoisted the T10 warning signal for Super Typhoon Saola in 2023.
The city’s stock exchange ended its decades-old tradition of shutting during storms of signal No. 8 or above in 2024. The practice had become increasingly questioned during the Covid-19 pandemic, when widespread work-from-home set-ups showed little hindrance to trading. AFP, REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
