The potent typhoon of the year leaves a fatal mark on China's Hawaii prior to striking Vietnam.
With winds reaching 230 km/h (140 mph), Typhoon Yagi ranked as a Category 4 hurricane, being the second strongest tropical cyclone globally in 2024, surpassed only by Atlantic hurricane Beryl which was a Category 5.
This titan of a storm marked the strongest typhoon in a decade to hit the Chinese holiday island of Hainan, causing fatalities and injuries reported by CCTV.
Local authorities stated that the damage and impact of this typhoon were worse than expected, leading to substantial losses in lives and properties.
By 12 p.m. local time on Saturday, the typhoon had affected approximately 1.227 million individuals in the Chinese provinces of Hainan, Guangdong, and Guangxi, as reported by CCTV.
Yagi weakened slightly after hitting China but re-strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane once again. It then made a second landfall in neighboring Vietnam on Saturday afternoon, approximately 120 km (75 miles) east of Hanoi, having also impacted the southwestern end of Guangdong province in China.
Vietnam was expected to experience strong winds and significant storm surges over the upcoming hours, with heavy rainfall continuing throughout the weekend.
Approximately 1 million people were evacuated to safer locations in Hainan and Guangdong, with early reports from Chinese state media on Saturday morning indicating downed trees, local flooding, and power outages.
Scientists have attributed the rapid intensification of storms to warmer oceans, a result of human-induced climate change. Yagi, initially a tropical storm with 90 km/h (60 mph) winds, quickly gained strength over the warm waters of the South China Sea.
Known as Enteng in the Philippines, Yagi brought heavy rainfall to the country earlier in the week, resulting in at least 13 fatalities, according to Reuters. Parts of Luzon reported rainfall totaling 400 mm (15.8 inches).
Upon reaching Haikou, northern Hainan, gusts as powerful as 150 km/h (93 mph) were recorded.
Entire cities in Hainan, populated by 10 million people, came to a standstill due to the approaching typhoon, with schools, businesses, restaurants, and beaches closed, and public transportation halted. Cities in neighboring provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi also enacted similar measures.
On Chinese social media, Hainan residents shared videos of an intense storm brewing across the island on Thursday evening, displaying streaks of lightning against a purple backdrop.
Hainan experienced rainfall of up to 12 inches.
Popularly referred to as "China's Hawaii," Hainan boasts sandy beaches, excellent surfing conditions, five-star resorts, and duty-free luxury shopping. Although not currently in peak travel season, the island has historically managed to weather powerful storms effectively.
Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit Hainan since Rammasun in 2014, which left at least 62 fatalities and caused $5.3 billion in direct losses across several Chinese provinces.
The majority of southern China has faced weeks of extreme rainfall this year, resulting in deadly floods and landslides that have destroyed homes, wrecked infrastructure, and caused significant financial losses due to crop and livestock damages.
Banana farmer Qizhao from the Guangdong village of Gaozhou stated that local residents prepared for the storm by reinforcing their trees with poles, aiming to protect months of hard work from potential destruction by the typhoon.
"The typhoon has not been as severe as initially feared and has only caused minimal damage," Qizhao told Reuters, as the typhoon made landfall in Hainan instead of Guangdong.
Extreme Alert
China's Central Meteorological Agency re-issued its highest typhoon alert, known as a red alert, for Hainan and Guangdong on Friday morning.
At the time of the text's publication, this alert had already led to travel disruptions in various parts of southern China, with authorities implementing storm warning systems to mitigate Yagi's effects well before its arrival.
Over 400,000 residents across Hainan, including fishermen and construction workers, were relocated to safer areas, and more than 34,000 fishing boats returned to port to seek shelter from the typhoon, according to state media reports.
Hainan's tourist attractions were ordered to close due to the imminent threat of destructive and powerful winds.
Residents boarded up windows and glass doors for additional protection against the powerful gusts. Some individuals placed sandbags around door openings to discourage flooding. People rushed to stock up on food and supplies, leading to long lines at supermarkets and depleted shelves.
The outer bands of Yagi brought heavy rain and high wind speeds to Hong Kong overnight on Thursday. Authorities elevated the third-highest storm warning, affecting some travel services and prompting school closures.
Multiple flights from Hong Kong were canceled, and the city's stock market, one of Asia's largest, was temporarily suspended. The storm warning was downgraded later in the day on Friday.
In the Philippines, popularly known as Enteng, significant downpours were initiated, causing chaos. According to Reuters, at least 13 lives were sadly lost due to this weather catastrophe. Areas in Luzon reported a whopping 400 millimeters (15.8 inches) of rainfall, and areas continue to be drenched by rainfall from the storm's outskirts.
CNN's Hassan Tayir played a role in compiling this information.
Given the text, here are two sentences that contain the word 'weather':
The rapid intensification of storms, such as Typhoon Yagi, is attributed to warmer oceans, a result of human-induced climate change.
Despite being outside its peak travel season, Hainan, often referred to as "China's Hawaii," has historically managed to weather powerful storms effectively, demonstrating resilience against severe weather conditions.
