Typhoon Yagi has rapidly intensified to a super typhoon as it powers its way towards the Chinese holiday island of Hainan, where it is forecast to make landfall towards the end of the week.
Yagi is currently packing winds of up to 240 kph (150 mph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) Wednesday. That makes it a high-end Category 4 Atlantic Hurricane and is only 7 mph shy of being a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane.
“Intensification will continue while in the warm tub of the South China Sea,” the typhoon warning center said.
Just a day ago, Yagi was a tropical storm with top winds of 90 kph (60 mph). Scientists have found that hotter oceans caused by the human-caused climate crisis are leading storms to intensify more rapidly.
It is expected to make landfall Friday evening across the southwest portions of China, near northern tip of Hainan.
The island is often dubbed “China’s Hawaii,” boasting sandy beaches, good surf, five-star resorts and duty-free luxury shopping. It is not currently peak travel season, however, and the island generally has a good track record of weathering powerful storms.
Intercity bus services have been suspended on the island since midnight Thursday, according to Hainan’s provincial government.
Train and high-speed rail services will be suspended on Thursday starting 6p.m. local time, while all flights departing after 8p.m. will also be cancelled until Friday midnight, it added.
Several tourist attractions have already shut down, with authorities warning that winds could be “massive and destructive.”
On Thursday morning, Yagi was churning to the south of Hong Kong, prompting the city to cancel kindergarten and several flights.
The local observatory warned it expected to hoist a higher storm warning later in the day, a step which will trigger further travel restrictions. If that warning remains in place until Friday, the city’s stock market — one of Asia’s largest — will be suspended.
Yagi, known as Enteng in the Philippines, brought heavy rainfall across the country earlier in the week. At least 13 people were killed, Reuters reported. In some parts of Luzon, rainfall totaling 400 millimeters (15.8 inches) were reported.