Typhoon Hato, which was known as “Isang” when it was still affecting the country, had already left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), but is now wreaking havoc in Hong Kong, bringing the city to a standstill as heavy rains and winds pummelled the territory.
Hong Kong’s weather observatory even raised the storm warning to the city’s maximum Typhoon 10 signal — meaning hurricane force winds are expected — at 9:10 am (0110 GMT).
It was the first such alert in five years and only the third time the Typhoon 10 warning has been issued since 1997 when the former British colony was handed over to China.
The weather observatory raised the The observatory also warned of possible flooding and said that sea levels could rise by one meter as the typhoon brought wind gusts of up to 168 kilometers (104 miles) per hour.
Hong Kong’s stock market was shut down and hundreds of flights to and from Hong Kong were all cancelled because of the strong typhoon.
The typhoon is expected to edge towards the Pearl River Estuary and to make landfall within around 100 kilometers to the west of Hong Kong in the afternoon.
Strong waves crashed into Hong Kong’s coastline, with ferry services suspended, while the city’s usually crowded streets were deserted and strewn with fallen branches.
The territory’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific said almost all its flights leaving before 5:00pm (0900 GMT) Wednesday would be cancelled, with Hong Kong Airlines following suit.
Hong Kong Airport Authorities said that by daybreak, 420 flights had already been cancelled.
The city’s airport express train line was also suspended while the metro rail and buses operated on a limited service.
Hong Kong is regularly hit by typhoons between July and October but direct hits are rare.
The city saw its strongest storm in 1962 when the eye of typhoon Wanda passed over and gusts of 284 kilometers per hour were recorded.
It killed 130 people and destroyed thousands of residential huts, leaving 72,000 people homeless.
Since then, Hong Kong has adapted to typhoons, including making sure its highest commercial skyscrapers can sway in the wind, and due to the extensive lockdown procedures they now rarely cause deaths.
Typhoon Hato (named as “Isang” in the Philippines) left PAR on Tuesday, August 22.
(with Agence France-Presse)