Super typhoon kills 17 in Taiwan and triggers China’s highest storm surge alert as climate scientists warn of worse to come
Ragasa Unleashes Fury on Hong Kong and Southern China
One of the most powerful tropical cyclones to strike the region in years, Typhoon Ragasa roared through southern waters on Wednesday, lashing Hong Kong with ferocious winds and towering waves before making landfall near Yangjiang along the Guangdong coast. The storm, described by meteorologists as the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, had already claimed 17 lives in Taiwan, where a barrier lake overflowed and sent a wall of water into the tourist town of Guangfu in Hualien county.
Hong Kong Takes a Direct Hit
In Hong Kong, the typhoon brought the Asian financial hub to a standstill. Huge waves crashed over the city’s eastern and southern shoreline, submerging roads and inundating residential areas. At the Fullerton Hotel on the island’s south, social media videos showed seawater surging through glass doors, though the hotel reported no injuries. The hospital authority confirmed that at least 90 people had been injured across the city, while the government opened 50 temporary shelters to house the nearly 900 who sought refuge.
The most harrowing incident saw a woman and her five-year-old son swept into the ocean after watching the typhoon from the waterfront. Both were admitted to intensive care. The typhoon signal was lowered from 8 to 3 at midday as Ragasa tracked westward toward the Pearl River Delta megalopolis.
Climate Warning: This Is Only the Beginning
The storm’s arrival prompted a pointed warning from climate scientists. Benjamin Horton, dean of the School of Energy and Environment at the City University of Hong Kong, made the stakes clear: more powerful typhoons are on the way. “The weather experienced in Hong Kong this summer is only a taste of what is to come,” Horton said, linking the intensification of tropical cyclones to climate change and the warming of the seas that fuel them.
Chim Lee, a senior energy and climate change specialist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, offered some reassurance about infrastructure preparedness, noting that authorities had absorbed lessons from the devastating impacts of Typhoons Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018. “The Pearl River Delta is one of the best-prepared regions for typhoons,” Lee said, while adding that the Hong Kong stock market’s decision to remain open during the typhoon was a mark of infrastructure resilience.
Guangdong Faces the Full Force
Ragasa formed over the Western Pacific and rapidly intensified to a Category 5 super typhoon on Monday, with winds exceeding 260 kilometres per hour, before making landfall along the south Chinese coast. China’s marine authority issued its highest red wave warning, forecasting storm surges of up to 2.8 metres in parts of Guangdong province. The warning covered cities including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Dongguan, home to a combined population of around 50 million people.
Chinese authorities evacuated more than two million people across Guangdong in preparation for landfall, while the ministry for emergencies dispatched tens of thousands of tents, folding beds, lighting equipment, and rescue supplies. Businesses in affected areas took precautions of their own, with some shops and restaurants parking large rented trucks in front of their storefronts to shield them from the wind.
The typhoon was tracking toward Maoming, one of China’s biggest oil refining cities, as it pushed inland. China’s marine authority warned of a high risk of flooding in Shenzhen, particularly in low-lying areas, with storm surge alerts expected to remain in effect through Thursday. In Macau, next to Hong Kong, casinos were ordered to shutter their gaming floors in a dramatic demonstration of the storm’s reach.
The Broader Context: Rising Seas, Greater Risks
The devastation wrought by Ragasa is a reminder that climate risk is not a future abstraction but a present reality for tens of millions of people in southern China and across the broader Asia-Pacific. The intensification of tropical cyclones, linked by scientists to warmer sea surface temperatures, means that storms of Ragasa’s power may become more frequent, not less. According to research compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the proportion of tropical cyclones reaching the highest categories of intensity has increased as global temperatures have risen. The economic disruption is also significant. Zijin Gold International delayed its $3.2 billion IPO in Hong Kong on the day of the storm, a reminder that extreme weather events carry real financial consequences for the region. Authorities, businesses, and ordinary citizens across southern China will need to continue investing in adaptation and resilience as the climate continues to shift. For background on how Hong Kong and southern China have historically managed typhoon risk, the Hong Kong Observatory provides authoritative data on storm patterns and historical records. Separately, the UK Met Office offers accessible, peer-reviewed explanations of how climate change is reshaping extreme weather globally.
Hoi Lam
Lifestyle, Gender & Society Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: hoilam@appledaily.uk
Hoi Lam is a lifestyle and society journalist whose work focuses on gender issues, family dynamics, and everyday social change within Chinese and diaspora communities. She completed her journalism education at a leading Chinese journalism school, where she specialized in feature writing, interview techniques, and ethical storytelling.
Her reporting career includes contributions to Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese magazines and newspapers, covering topics such as women’s rights, work-life balance, generational change, and evolving social norms. Hoi Lam’s work is grounded in firsthand interviews and contextual research, ensuring authenticity and factual integrity.
She brings newsroom experience in balancing human-interest storytelling with rigorous fact-checking and responsible framing. Her writing avoids sensationalism and prioritizes accurate representation of sources and lived experiences.
Hoi Lam’s authority is reinforced by sustained publication within reputable media outlets and compliance with editorial review and correction standards. She is trusted by editors for her careful handling of sensitive subjects and ethical clarity.
At Apple Daily UK, Hoi Lam contributes credible, experience-based journalism that documents social realities with accuracy, empathy, and professional discipline.
