City braces for Super Typhoon Yagi

Shenzhen is bracing for the arrival of super typhoon Yagi, which is expected to be the strongest storm to make landfall in Guangdong Province in nearly a decade.

Vehicles drive on the roads of Shenzhen today. Photos by Liu Xudong except otherwise stated

Yagi, the 11th typhoon of the year, has intensified into a level 17 super typhoon with winds of up to 209 km per hour, according to the national weather forecast.

The typhoon is forecast to make landfall as a super typhoon Friday afternoon somewhere between Qionghai City in Hainan Province and Maoming City in Guangdong Province.

Shenzhen’s meteorological observatory upgraded the alert level to yellow for Yantian District, Dapeng New Area, parts of Nanshan and Bao’an district, and coastal areas across the city at 7 p.m. Thursday. Among the typhoons that have made landfall in Hainan and western Guangdong, Yagi is projected to be the most intense and the closest to Shenzhen, according to the forecast.

All primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, and nurseries in the city have been suspended.

Fishing boats anchor in the harbor in the Bohe Port of Dianbai County in Maoming City, Guangdong Province, on Thursday. Xinhua 

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was closed at 9 p.m. Thursday. Vehicles traveling on Shenzhong Link are required to run at a reduced maximum speed of 70 km per hour from 9 p.m. Thursday.

Train services on the Shenzhen-Zhanjiang railway, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen and Guangzhou-Zhuhai intercity rail lines, and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link are suspended, China Railway Guangzhou Group announced Thursday.

A woman braces against the wind on a street in Shenzhen yesterday. Liu Xudong

Some of the city’s parks, including Dameisha, Xiaomeisha, Dongchong, and Jiaochangwei beaches, as well as Dongshan Luzui scenic spot, were closed Thursday.

Guangdong’s flood control and drought relief headquarters raised its emergency response for flood and typhoon prevention to the top level Thursday.

Hainan upgraded its emergency response alert for Yagi to the highest level at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. Its capital Haikou began suspension of work, schools, public transportation, and other services Thursday. All inbound and outbound flights at the Haikou Meilan International Airport were canceled from 8 p.m. Thursday.