Hong Kong authorities are considering a temporary closure of the international airport and a complete suspension of passenger flights for 36 hours on Tuesday due to the approaching super typhoon Ragasa. This could be the longest restriction in the city's recent history. This is reported by UNN with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
According to meteorologists, the wind speed at the storm's epicenter reaches 215 km/h. Ragasa is currently moving from the coast of the Philippines across the South China Sea and may pass south of Hong Kong, causing hurricane-force winds, widespread flooding, and dangerous storm surges. The storm's wide circulation also threatens to dump heavy rains on Hong Kong.
In the Philippine capital Manila and 30 other provinces, government agencies and schools have already suspended operations. Residents of northern Luzon are being evacuated, as more than 200 mm of precipitation is expected there, threatening flooding and infrastructure damage.
As noted, Ragasa will be the 11th tropical cyclone to affect Hong Kong this year, breaking the record for the number of tropical cyclone warning signals issued between January and September since 1946.
Recall
In the northern provinces of Thailand, Typhoon Kajiki resulted in five deaths and 15 injuries. Heavy rains and landslides will continue, and water levels may rise.
Also, the typhoon toppled trees and flooded houses in Vietnam. Authorities evacuated 30,000 people, closed airports, and canceled flights.