Hong Kong ground to a halt on Tuesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone of 2025, drew closer, prompting city authorities to enforce widespread shutdowns and urge residents to stay indoors. Air travel has been severely hit, with most passenger flights suspended until at least Thursday.
Residents rushed to secure their homes and stock up on food and essentials, leaving shelves bare amid mounting panic. Hong Kong Observatory warned that the hurricane-force winds of Ragasa could reach the speed of 220 kilometers per hour and is posing a “severe threat to the coast of Guangdong,” the southern Chinese province bordering the financial center.
The super typhoon is projected to maintain its intensity as it approaches Guangdong, while impacting Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan. At 2:20 P.M. local time, Hong Kong raised the typhoon signal to 8, its third-highest warning, shutting most businesses and transport services and disrupting over 700 flights, including in neighboring Macau and Taiwan.
Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly through Tuesday, with the Observatory considering escalating warnings later in the day or early Wednesday. Hurricane-strength winds and heavy rainfall are forecast for Wednesday, potentially causing significant flooding and storm surges in Hong Kong’s densely populated urban zones.
Forecasters warn that water levels could rise about two meters in Hong Kong’s coastal regions, reaching up to four to five meters in some areas, levels similar to the devastation experienced during Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018, both of which inflicted billions of dollars in damages. Local authorities distributed sandbags to residents in low-lying areas.
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange, however, remained open due to its new policy last year that allowed the market to continue despite weather disruptions.
Ragasa reached peak winds near its center at 260 kilometers per hour on Monday—making it the most intense Category 5 cyclone of the year—before weakening slightly to a strong Category 4 storm as it approached China’s southern coast. Mainland authorities have implemented flood control measures across several southern provinces, bracing for heavy rainfall and storm surge.
Suspensions of work, school, and public transport have swept across more than ten cities in Guangdong, including major urban centers Shenzhen and Zhuhai. The China Environmental Forecasting Center predicts coastal waves in Guangdong could reach heights of up to seven meters. In Shenzhen, 800 emergency shelters have been set up, while workers have been clearing large branches from major roads in anticipation of high winds.
Preparations are also underway in Macau, the world’s leading gambling destination, where all casinos were ordered to shut by 5 P.M. as authorities raised the typhoon alert. Across the region, Taiwan evacuated more than 7,600 people from mountainous areas as transport disruptions continued for a second day, with 273 flights cancelled and rail services affected.
