Due to the approach of Super Typhoon Saola, businesses, schools, and financial markets in China's Guangdong province and Hong Kong have been closed, and hundreds of flights have been canceled. Three tropical cyclones have formed in the northwest Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, with Saola and Haikui already categorized as typhoons while Kirogi is still considered a tropical storm. Weather forecasters predict Saola, with winds of over 200 kph (125 mph), will make landfall Friday night or Saturday morning as a severe typhoon along the coast from Huidong to Taishan in Guangdong. This could be one of the five strongest typhoons to hit Guangdong since 1949, according to Chinese authorities.
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Hong Kong and neighboring Macau are in the middle of this coastline. The Hong Kong Observatory warns that as the typhoon makes landfall, weather conditions will rapidly deteriorate, and it may consider the need to issue higher cyclone warning signals. Significant flooding is expected, with water levels in some areas reaching around 3 meters (10 feet) higher than the normal tide level. Hong Kong has already raised Signal 8, with all schools closed on Friday.
Residents are concerned about the approaching typhoon, with many seen stocking up on supplies at markets and supermarkets. Cathay Pacific, the city's flagship carrier, has canceled all flights between 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Friday and 10 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Saturday, with further cancellations and delays possible based on the typhoon's path on Saturday morning. Shenzhen and Guangzhou have also closed schools, while Shenzhen has suspended work, businesses, and financial markets from Friday afternoon. Hundreds of flights have already been canceled at Zhuhai and Shenzhen airports. In addition, Guangdong authorities have suspended all trains in and out of the province from 8 p.m. (1200 GMT) Friday to 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) Saturday.
Typhoon Haikui is approaching Taiwan and is expected to make landfall on the northern part of the island on Sunday before heading towards the southeastern Chinese city of Fuzhou. Meanwhile, the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong has halted outdoor operations and transferred vulnerable materials from the plant, with emergency staff on duty and all personnel and facilities at the base deemed safe.