Hong Kong hunkered down today as Typhoon Nida swirled towards it, with more than 100 flights cancelled and schools closed, and Guangzhou in neighbouring mainland China issued its top storm alert.
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The Observatory said Tuesday morning that Nida has “weakened into a severe tropical storm and is moving gradually to the inland areas of Guangdong”.
The cities of Zhuhai and Shanwei in Guangdong province also issued the highest alert in the typhoon warning system; a red alert.
More than 180 flights have been canceled in Hong Kong as the city in southern China prepares for Nida’s potential destruction.
Many passengers heading to Hong Kong and southern Chinese cities had to sleep on airport floor after flights cancelled or delayed and hotel rooms were unavailable.
Typhoon Nida reached Hong Kong on Monday night and is now heading inland through Guangdong.
Fishing boats have to berth at a port as the Typhoon Nida approaches in Beihai, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 2, 2016.
The Airport Authority told HKFP that at least 325 flights departing from and arriving in Hong Kong between 6am to 9pm were rescheduled on Tuesday, and flights will be able to take off “depending on the situation”.
It is bringing heavy rains and squalls to both Hong Kong and neighboring Guangdong, with 350-millimeters of rain expected to drench certain parts of the heavily-populated region this morning.
It was the strongest typhoon to hit the Pearl River delta in 30 years, the China News Service cited experts as saying.
The Observatory is warning that there will be flooding in some low-lying and poorly drained areas.
Nida, also called Tropical Storm Carina, hit the Philippines on Saturday, pouring up to 11 inches of rain over the country’s northern parts.
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Local authorities made the necessary precautions; ordering more than 25,000 fishing vessels to the harbor, suspending train services between Hainan and Guangdong, and canceling scheduled trips of all passenger ships across Qiongzhou Strait, between Hainan and Guangdong.
