Typhoon Saola made landfall on the southern coast of China early Saturday, following its impact on Hong Kong and the evacuation of millions in anticipation of one of the most powerful storms to strike the region in decades.
Residents in major southern Chinese cities, including Shenzhen and Hong Kong, braced for the super typhoon. However, as it approached Hong Kong, Saola was downgraded to a severe typhoon.
China’s National Meteorological Centre reported that the typhoon officially made landfall around 3:30 a.m. Saturday (2030 GMT Friday) south of Zhuhai city in Guangdong province, situated to the south of the casino hub of Macau.
Before the typhoon’s arrival, more than 880,000 people were evacuated from two Chinese provinces, and hundreds of flights were canceled. In Hong Kong, heavy rainfall resulted in uprooted trees and other damage.
China’s National Weather Office noted that Saola “may become the strongest typhoon to make landfall in the Pearl River Delta since 1949,” referring to the low-lying region encompassing Macau, Hong Kong, and much of Guangdong province.
With the prospect of a direct hit, authorities in Hong Kong raised the highest warning level, “T10,” on Friday. This level, known as the T10 signal, has been issued only 16 times since World War II. After being in effect for seven hours, the warning level in Hong Kong was lowered to “T8” by 3:40 a.m. local time. However, residents were urged to remain vigilant due to dangerous gusts reaching speeds of 139 kilometers (86 miles) per hour.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued a bulletin warning of a possible historical record for maximum water levels and the likelihood of severe flooding.
On the Chinese mainland in Guangdong province, authorities evacuated more than 780,000 people from high-risk areas. In eastern Fujian province, around 100,000 residents were relocated to safer locations.
Trains in and out of Guangdong were suspended until 6:00 p.m. Saturday, and the national flood defense agency raised its emergency response to the second-highest level.
Wu Wenlai, a restaurant owner in a Shenzhen suburb, commented on the situation: “It’s going to affect our life. My eldest son was planning to fly to Chengdu today for university, and his flight has been canceled now.”
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