Super Typhoon Yagi live: Deadly storm nears landfall in China with airports, schools and markets closed

Super Typhoon Yagi, one of the strongest storms in Asia this year, lashed southern China today with heavy rain and powerful winds as it inched closer to landfall.

Schools were closed for a second day and flights were cancelled across Hainan , Guangdong , Hong Kong , and Macau .

The storm’s winds reached 245kmph, making Yagi the second-most powerful tropical cyclone of 2024.

Yagi is expected to make landfall along China’s coast, between Wenchang on Hainan Island and Leizhou in Guangdong province this afternoon and then move towards Vietnam and Laos.

Transport links and businesses have been shut across the region as a precaution, including the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge, the world’s longest sea crossing.

The storm also closed the Hong Kong stock exchange as a No 8 signal – the third in a five-tier system – remains in place.

Four airports in northern Vietnam, including Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, have been shut.

Yagi doubled in strength after striking northern Philippines where it killed 14 people.

Scientists warn that typhoons are becoming stronger due to warmer oceans, fueled by climate crisis.