Super Typhoon Yagi is anticipated to make landfall in southern China on Friday, as preparations are underway in the region with the cancellation of flights and the closure of schools and businesses in response to the impending storm. Yagi is recognized as the second-strongest tropical storm recorded globally for the year 2024, having tragically claimed over a dozen lives during its earlier passage through the northern Philippines this week.

The typhoon has already unleashed powerful winds and heavy rainfall upon southern China, notably affecting Hainan province where schools have remained closed for a second consecutive day while flights have been suspended. With sustained winds reaching 245 kilometers per hour (152 mph), Yagi is designated as the strongest tropical cyclone in the Pacific basin this year and the second most formidable globally, following the Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, Beryl.

Having more than doubled in strength since its destructive sweep through the Philippines, Yagi’s eye was reported to be approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) off the coast of Hainan by midday Friday, maintaining its wind speed overnight. Landfall is expected to occur between Wenchang in Hainan and Leizhou in Guangdong province later in the afternoon. Following its initial impact with China, the storm is predicted to continue its path into Vietnam and Laos over the weekend.

As a precautionary measure, Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority announced the closure of four northern airports, including Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, scheduled for Saturday. The region experienced intense weather overnight, with thundering storms, lightning, and significant rain. Local residents, such as Qizhao, a banana farmer from Gaozhou in Guangdong, expressed their anxiety regarding the typhoon’s potential to devastate their agricultural efforts. Many locals have indeed begun reinforcing their trees and crops to mitigate wind damage.

Transportation services across southern China largely came to a standstill on Friday, with numerous flights canceled in Hainan, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. The significant bridge connecting Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai was also closed. Business operations, including factories, faced interruptions with many choosing to shut down operations. In Hong Kong, the stock exchange remained closed and schools reported closures as well. However, the city’s authorities did lower the typhoon warning during the afternoon as winds were expected to gradually diminish, allowing some businesses to resume operations, albeit amidst ongoing heavy rainfall attributed to Yagi.

This storm is notably significant as it marks the most severe event to impact Hainan since Typhoon Rammasun struck in 2014, which had catastrophic consequences, resulting in 88 fatalities and economic losses amounting to over 44 billion yuan (approximately $6.25 billion). Having formed over warm waters east of the Philippines, Yagi is projected to make landfall in China as a Category Four typhoon, capable of producing winds that can overturn vehicles, uproot trees, and severely damage infrastructure.

As citizens in Hainan’s capital, Haikou, remained indoors, social media highlighted deserted streets across the area. The projected landfall of Yagi in Hainan is unprecedentedly severe; historically, out of 106 typhoons recorded from 1949 to 2023, only nine have qualified as super typhoons. Moreover, climate scientists assert that rising ocean temperatures, linked to climate change, contribute to the increasing intensity of typhoons. In recent weather events, Typhoon Shanshan also made headlines as it impacted southwestern Japan, being one of the strongest storms to hit the nation in many years.

Interestingly, the name Yagi translates to ‘goat’ in Japanese, and it correlates with the constellation of Capricornus, a mythical creature depicted as half goat and half fish.

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