Super Typhoon Yagi is currently advancing towards southern China, with expectations for a landfall on the Chinese island of Hainan this Friday, followed by its approach to northern Vietnam on Saturday. As one of the most formidable storms of 2024, Yagi is exhibiting maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour (241 kilometers per hour), categorizing it as a Category 4 hurricane according to the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center. By Friday afternoon, Yagi was located approximately 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Wenchang, situated in Hainan Province, as reported by China’s National Meteorological Center.

The imminent arrival of Super Typhoon Yagi prompted the closure of schools and businesses, disruptions to travel schedules, and raised significant concerns regarding potential landslides and floods. The storm is anticipated to make landfall in Hainan during Friday evening, potentially becoming the most severe typhoon to impact the region in the last ten years. Following this, it is expected to traverse the Gulf of Tonkin, resulting in a second landfall in northern Vietnam, albeit as a diminished storm by Saturday afternoon.

Heavy rainfall began to affect southern China on Thursday and forecasts indicate its persistence through Sunday. Experts predict certain areas in Hainan and Guangdong provinces may accumulate more than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain within a single day. In response to the severe weather threat, the provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, and Guangxi elevated their emergency preparedness to the highest level, alerting residents of imminent dangers such as landslides and floods. National task forces have been deployed to assist Guangdong and Hainan in weather preparations.

Authorities in Hainan urged residents to remain indoors, mandating the closure of nonessential businesses, markets, public transportation, schools, and tourist sites. Additionally, Hainan’s government reported that over 20,000 residents had been evacuated, alongside 76,000 commercial shipping personnel.

In Guangdong, local transport authorities suspended traffic on six highways and a critical bridge connecting Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai. Meanwhile, Haikou Meilan International Airport in Hainan canceled all Friday flights. The storm is expected to bypass Hong Kong, where stock market operations were suspended, and local officials issued warnings regarding the potential for strong winds, advising the public to avoid coastal areas.

On the international front, the Vietnamese government is also taking precautionary measures, urging vessels to return to ports, evacuating both locals and tourists from maritime islands, and halting operations at a minimum of four airports on Friday, as indicated by state media reporting. Notably, prior to arriving in southern China, Super Typhoon Yagi caused considerable devastation in the Philippines, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 16 lives. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center attributes Yagi’s classification as a super typhoon to its extraordinarily rapid intensification while traversing the South China Sea, defining such a storm as a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour or greater in the western North Pacific.

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