Typhoon Ragasa, the most powerful tropical cyclone of 2025, has made landfall in southern China after killing at least 20 people across Taiwan and the Philippines and paralyzing Hong Kong with hurricane-force winds and torrential rain. China's National Meteorological Center said the storm struck Guangdong province Wednesday afternoon packing sustained winds of 112 mph before moving toward the Gulf of Tonkin.
Authorities ordered mass evacuations across Guangdong, home to more than 125 million people, and warned of storm surges as high as 2.8 meters (nine feet). State media reported that more than two million residents had been relocated, and emergency crews deployed tens of thousands of tents, beds and generators to assist those displaced.
In Taiwan, the National Fire Agency confirmed 17 deaths, all in Hualien County, after a barrier lake overflowed and sent a wall of water into the town of Guangfu. Seventeen more people remain missing. In the Philippines, at least three deaths were reported in the north, where Ragasa triggered flash floods and displaced thousands.
Hong Kong endured one of its most disruptive storms in years. The Observatory issued its highest storm signal, No. 10, overnight, and advised the city's 7.5 million residents to remain indoors. Maximum winds on Lantau Island reached 120 mph, canceling flights, shutting schools and flooding major roads. Videos on social media showed waves crashing through the Fullerton Hotel's glass doors, submerging its lobby, while CCTV footage captured a restaurant in Tseung Kwan O filling with water as furniture floated across the floor.
Macau, the world's largest gambling hub, issued its own No. 10 warning, forcing casinos to close and sealing off entertainment venues to protect visitors from flying debris.
In Guangdong, major cities including Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Foshan suspended public transportation, closed businesses and canceled flights. Residents in flood-prone areas parked cars on bridges to avoid inundation, while local media reported that some shops placed rented trucks as barriers to block high water.
Chim Lee, senior energy and climate change specialist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said the region has invested heavily in typhoon preparedness since storms Hato and Mangkhut caused billions of dollars in damage in 2017 and 2018. "The Pearl River Delta is one of the best-prepared regions for typhoons, so we're not expecting major disruptions," Lee said. "One change this year is that the Hong Kong stock market has stayed open during typhoons - a sign of how resilient the infrastructure has become."
