A super typhoon dubbed the 'King of Storms' has struck Hong Kong and southern China, with authorities urging people to stay at home while experts recorded winds of 137 miles per hour.
Hong Kong shut schools and cancelled flights on Tuesday as super typhoon Ragasa - the world's most powerful tropical cyclone this year - neared the financial centre with a force that officials warned would be among the most destructive in the city's recent history.
The powerful storm posed a wide threat to lives and homes, prompting authorities in mainland China to order businesses and schools to shut down in at least 10 cities across the nation's south, affecting tens of millions of people.
People piled into supermarkets, leaving little on the shelves, as panic buying set in and residents stocked up on necessities for fear that shops could be closed for two days.
Ragasa had already toppled trees, torn the roofs off buildings and killed at least two people in a landslide while lashing the northern Philippines, where thousands sought shelter in schools and evacuation centres.
The super typhoon was generating maximum sustained winds of 137 miles per hour near its centre while moving west across the South China Sea, according to Hong Kong's weather service.
It will maintain super typhoon intensity as it edges closer to the coast of Guangdong, and as it impacts Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued its third-highest typhoon warning, T8, at 2:20 pm local time on Tuesday, saying that Ragasa 'has an extensive circulation with fierce winds'.
'The weather is expected to start deteriorating rapidly later today, with winds strengthening quickly,' the observatory said, adding that 'significant' storm surge may cause water levels to rise up to four metres by Wednesday morning.
Yang Lee-o, who has lived in the seaside neighbourhood of Lei Yue Mun for 40 years, said government workers had already spent a day placing sandbags.
'Lei Yue Mun is the hardest hit whenever there's a typhoon or rainstorm,' said the 71-year-old, adding that the water level went up to her thighs during a previous super typhoon.
Scores of workers have set up barricades and elevated walkways, with some business owners moving their wares out of the area.
Hong Kong's number-two official, Eric Chan, previously said Ragasa would pose a 'serious threat' comparable to the super typhoons of 2017 and 2018, which cost hundreds of millions in property damage.
Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms due to the effects of human-driven climate change.
Hong Kong's airport will remain open, but there will be 'significant disruption to flight operations' from 6:00 pm (1000 GMT) Tuesday until the next day, the Airport Authority said.
More than 500 Cathay Pacific flights are expected to be cancelled.
This handout from the US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) taken and received on September 23, 2025 shows HIMAWARI satellite imagery of super typhoon Ragasa as it develops and nears Hong Kong and mainland China
People collect sandbags in preparation to prevent flooding from Super Typhoon Ragasa, Mui Wo in Lantau Island, in Hong Kong, China, September 23
People queue to pay for supplies in a supermarket as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches Hong Kong on September 23, 2025
A construction worker moves a sign to a safer place as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches Hong Kong on September 23, 2025
Officials warned of a 'serious threat' comparable to some of the most destructive storms in Hong Kong's recent history.
A worker stands in front of sand bags placed in preparation for Super Typhoon Ragasa, in Hong Kong, China
Filipinos wade through flood waters on a flooded road in Manila, Philippines, 22 September 2025.
A Filipino boy walks along an unfinished flood control dike in Manila, Philippines, 22 September 2025.
Student Lilly Rober, 24, said she had plans to travel to Japan but her flight was pushed back.
'We had to book a new hotel here, which also costs us some money so we are kind of really disappointed,'
she told AFP at the Hong Kong airport on Tuesday morning.
Thousands of workers rushed home on Tuesday afternoon after the T8 signal was announced, with bus operators saying that service will be reduced later in the day.
Classes were to be suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the Hong Kong Jockey Club also cancelled Wednesday's horse-racing meet.
Hong Kong's stock exchange changed its rules this year to keep markets open during typhoons, with the operator telling Bloomberg News that it was 'closely monitoring' the situation.
Ragasa - named after the Filipino word for rapid motion - is expected to make landfall in the central and western coastal areas of Guangdong within 24 hours, the province's emergency management bureau said on Tuesday morning.
Shenzhen earlier ordered the evacuation of 400,000 people.
Emergency management authorities in the Chinese tech hub said that except for emergency rescue personnel and those ensuring people's livelihood, 'do not go out casually'.
Other cities in the Southern province of Guangdong that are implementing the measures include Chaozhou, Zhuhai, Dongguan and Foshan.
Elsewhere in Asia, Philippines’ President Fernando Marcos Jr ordered the country’s disaster response agency to go on full alert and mobilise all government agencies as super typhoon Ragasa threatened the north of the nation.
A person walks on the shore while huge waves crash as Super Typhoon Ragasa peripheral brings in rain in the region, in Orchid Island, Taitung County, Taiwan
A handout photo made available by Tuba Public Information Office (PIO) shows rescuers carrying a victim in the landslide-hit municipality of Tuba, Benguet province, Philippines, 22 September 2025
The government suspended work and classes across Metro Manila and large parts of Luzon as outer rainbands began lashing the region, prompting warnings of power outages, landslides, floods, and dangerous seas.
Airlines have cancelled two dozen domestic flights, mostly serving Luzon's main hubs, while ports have suspended ferry services.