Super Typhoon Saola threatened southern China on Friday with some of the strongest winds the region has endured, forcing the megacities of Hong Kong and Shenzhen to effectively shut down.
Tens of millions of people sheltered indoors as hundreds of flights were cancelled, the stock market suspended trading and the start of Hong Kong’s school year was delayed.
With a direct hit on Hong Kong possible, authorities warned they may raise the warning level from T8 to T9 or T10 — the city’s highest alert, which has only been issued 16 times since World War II.
By 2pm (0600 GMT), Saola was 140 kilometres east-southeast of Hong Kong, packing sustained winds of 210 km per hour. Mainland Chinese authorities have already issued the highest typhoon warning for the storm.
