Typhoons have also hit U.S. territories, causing billions of dollars in devastating damage to places like Guam, which was battered by Super Typhoon Mawar in May last year.

Three Filipinos were dead and over 300,000 individuals have been affected by Typhoon Wipha in recent days, Philippine authorities said Sunday.

The Hong Kong Observatory will issue the No 9 storm signal at 7.20am on Sunday, seven hours after the first No 8 warning of the year took effect, as Typhoon Wipha edged its way towards the city. The forecaster said Wipha’s hurricane winds will be “rather close” to Hong Kong as the typhoon will skirt at about 50km south of the city around noon,

Typhoon Wipha is the strongest storm to hit Hong Kong in two years, with average wind speeds exceeding 118 kilometers per hour. The last time the No 10 signal was raised was in 2023 when Super Typhoon Saola struck.