The Hainan Provincial Meteorological Service reported that typhoon Yagi, which had earlier carried winds of up to 245 kph at its center, made landfall in Wenchang city at approximately 4:20 pm, news agency Associated Press stated. It is expected to move across other parts of the island before heading toward the Beibu Gulf.
National meteorological authorities in China stated that Yagi was the strongest autumn typhoon ever recorded to hit the country. They predicted a second landfall in Xuwen County, Guangdong province, which is also China's most populous province, on Friday night.
Before the landfall, nearly 420,000 residents were evacuated from Hainan, along with more than 500,000 from Guangdong, according to state media. Residents in Hainan built sandbag barriers and reinforced windows with tape to protect against potential flooding, as reported by China's official Xinhua news agency.
State media announced that schools, businesses, transportation, and work had been suspended in parts of the province from Wednesday evening. Tourist attractions were closed, and flights at all three of the island's airports were expected to be grounded by Friday.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that the city of Qinzhou in the Guangxi region had issued a top-level emergency alert. In Beihai city, work, classes, businesses, and transportation were suspended on Friday. Earlier, Hong Kong also took significant precautions, halting stock trading, bank services, and schools after issuing a No. 8 typhoon signal, the city's third-highest weather alert.
A super typhoon is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.
Yagi's impact in Hong Kong forced over 270 people to seek refuge in government shelters and led to the cancellation of more than 100 flights. Nine people were injured and treated in hospitals, while heavy rain and strong winds felled dozens of trees.
Yagi is not only set to strike China but is also expected to make landfall in northern Vietnam late on Saturday, though in a weakened state. Tens of thousands of residents in the Hai Phong and Thai Binh provinces will be evacuated to safety by the end of Friday, according to local authorities, as reported by AFP.
Vietnamese media stated that the military has deployed approximately 460,000 personnel to assist with storm preparations and response efforts.
In anticipation of the storm, four airports in northern Vietnam, including Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, will close on Saturday, the country's civil aviation authority announced.
Yagi, which has doubled in strength after causing widespread destruction in northern Philippines earlier this week, is now the second most powerful typhoon of the year.
The storm was initially a tropical storm when it moved from the northwestern Philippines into the South China Sea on Wednesday. It left at least 16 people dead and 17 missing in the Philippines, mainly due to landslides and flooding. More than 2 million people in the northern and central provinces were affected.
In the Philippines, over 47,600 people were displaced, and classes, work, ferry services, and domestic flights were disrupted for several days, including in the densely populated Manila region.
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