Typhoon Saola has made landfall in southern China after leaving a trail of destruction in Hong Kong. Thousands of trees were felled and boats sank in the city’s harbour. Nearly 900,000 people had been evacuated in Hong Kong and China while business, transport and schools were suspended in advance of the typhoon making landfall The Guardian
Tag: Extreme weather
Typhoon Saola makes landfall in southern China as nearly 900,000 evacuated
Typhoon Saola has made landfall in southern China after nearly 900,000 people were moved to safety and most of Hong Kong and other parts of coastal southern China suspended business, transport and schools. Guangdong province’s meteorological bureau said the powerful storm churned into an outlying district of the city of Zhuhai, just south of Hong Kong at 3.30am local time. It was forecast to move in a south-westerly direction along the Guangdong coast at a speed of about 10mph (17km/h), gradually weakening before heading out to sea. China issues highest…
China issues highest flood warning as Typhoon Saola approaches its south-eastern coast – video
China has issued the highest flood warning as Typhoon Saola continued its journey toward the country’s south-eastern coast. The storm has clocked wind speeds of up to 209km/h threatening major urban areas including Hong Kong and Guangdong. Rail and air transport in Hong Kong have been suspended as local authorities warn people to remain indoors and away from windows The Guardian
Weather tracker: Hurricane Idalia leaves trail of damage in Florida
Hurricane Idalia struck northern Florida on Wednesday, bringing damaging winds and torrential rain. It made landfall near Keaton Beach on Florida’s Big Bend during the morning as a high-end category 3 hurricane, bringing sustained winds speeds near 125mph (200km/h) and a storm surge of 16ft along Florida’s north-west coastline. Due to very warm sea surface temperatures, the storm strengthened rapidly over the Gulf of Mexico to category 4 status, before weakening to category 3 as it made landfall. It brought extensive flooding as it passed through and damaged power lines,…
Typhoon Saola: China issues highest warning as storm approaches Hong Kong and Guangdong
China has issued the highest typhoon warning as Typhoon Saola crawled closer to the south-eastern coastline, threatening Hong Kong and other major manufacturing hubs in neighbouring Guangdong province. Chinese forecasters issued a typhoon red warning at 6am on Thursday. China’s National Meteorological Centre said Saola, which lies about 295km (183 miles) south-east of Guangdong province, will move north-west across the South China Sea at a speed of about 10km/h (6mph), gradually approaching the coast of Guangdong, then slowly weaken in intensity. Wind speeds at 9am were clocked at 209km/h. The…
Heatwaves, flood and fire: what it’s like to survive 2023’s extreme weather – video
In 2023, the effects of the climate crisis have come into sharp focus. Much of the northern hemisphere endured a blistering heatwave, while other countries were inundated with torrential rain and catastrophic flooding. A number of climate records – some unofficial – tumbled in recent weeks. The Guardian spoke to four people from Hawaii, India, China and the Middle East directly affected by extreme weather events The Guardian
China warns of disease outbreaks in flood-hit areas as death toll rises
China has warned of crop and animal diseases breaking out as floodwaters retreated from rural areas in the north, while some cities struggled to restore drinking water supplies after the worst flooding in six decades which have left more than 30 dead. Hebei province, which shares a border with the capital Beijing, was struck by more than a year’s rainfall last week from storms that followed Typhoon Doksuri, affecting autumn crops and damaging agricultural equipment. It comes as the Beijing Daily newspaper reported that there had been 33 deaths from…
China floods: at least 14 killed after torrential rain in north-east
At least 14 people are dead after torrential rain hit China’s north-eastern Jilin province, state media has reported, in the latest fatalities from more than a week of weather-related disasters across the country. China has been hit with record heavy rains in recent weeks, with Beijing saying on Friday that natural disasters had caused 147 deaths or disappearances last month. A further 14 deaths and one missing person were reported on Sunday by state-run broadcaster CCTV, citing local authorities, after heavy rain in the north-eastern city of Shulan. Rescuers transfer…
Anger in China over plan to use cities as ‘moat’ to save Beijing from floods
Chinese social media users have reacted angrily to comments from a local Communist party official suggesting that the city of Zhuozhou and other flood-hit areas near Beijing should be used as a “moat for the capital”. Ni Yuefeng, the Communist party secretary for Hebei, a province that borders the capital on three sides, made the comments after visiting flooded areas earlier this week. Typhoon Doksuri has ripped through north-east China, destroying homes and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. One of the worst-hit cities is Zhuozhou, home to…
Weather tracker: Typhoons Talim and Doksuri batter China
China has been battered by two typhoons in recent weeks that have caused severe flooding across the east coast. Typhoon Talim hit the south on 17 July, with gusts of 85mph (137km/h), according to the Guangdong weather bureau. Days later, on 28 July, Typhoon Doksuri struck Fujian province on China’s south-eastern coast with gusts above 100mph. Strong winds tore down trees and spread large amounts of debris, but it was heavy rain that caused the biggest problems as soils were already saturated. Doksuri then travelled north, triggering red alerts for…