Wipha

Vietnam is bracing for Typhoon Wipha, expected to make landfall Tuesday with winds up to 166 km/h. Mass evacuations, flight cancellations, and flood alerts are underway as the country prepares for deadly floods and landslides. The storm killed three in the Philippines.

Vietnam is expecting 500mm of rainfall as Typhoon Wipha approaches the northern coast after skirting the Philippines, where five people were killed and several are missing.

Rainfall and flooding, which left five people dead and displaced thousands over the weekend, have continued in the Philippines following Typhoon Wipha, which is now barrelling towards the coast of northern Vietnam as a severe tropical storm.

As of 6am local time in Vietnam on Tuesday (23:00 GMT), Wipha was situated 60km (37 miles) off the coast of Haiphong City, with wind speeds of up to 102 kph (63 mph), and was moving southwest at a speed of 15 kph (9.3 mph), according to Vietnam’s national weather forecast agency.

No casualties or damage have been reported so far, while an estimated 350,000 Vietnamese soldiers are on standby as the country’s weather agency expects up to 500mm (20 inches) of rainfall, which could cause dangerous flooding and landslides.

Expected to make landfall in Hung Yen and Ninh Binh provinces, located south of the capital, Hanoi, Wipha is forecast to weaken to a low-pressure event on Tuesday night, the agency said.

Floodwaters driven by torrential rains in the aftermath of Typhoon Wipha brought much of life in the Philippine capital, Manila, to a halt on Tuesday, with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing.

Schools and government offices remained closed in Manila and surrounding provinces after a night of rain that saw the region’s Marikina River burst its banks.

More than 23,000 people living along the river were evacuated and took shelter in schools, village halls and covered courtyards. Another 25,000 more were evacuated in the metropolitan area’s Quezon and Caloocan cities.

An elderly woman and her driver were swept down a swollen stream as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, John Paul Nietes, an emergency operations centre assistant supervisor, told the AFP news agency.

“Their car was recovered last night. The rescue operation is continuing, but as of today, they haven’t found either of them,” he said.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in the Philippines, five people have been reported killed as of Monday, and at least another five were reported injured following Typhoon Wipha, local news outlet Enquirer.net reported. Seven people are also missing, according to the council.

At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country’s poorest regions typically the hardest hit. Their impact has become more deadly and destructive as storms grow more powerful due to climate change.

Earlier this year, Super Typhoon Yagi hit Vietnam, killing about 300 people and causing some $3.3bn in damage.

July 20 (UPI) — Typhoon Wipha slammed ashore along the southern Chinese coast Sunday evening, after drenching Hong Kong and Macau with heavy rain and whipping wind, the Guangdong meteorological service said.

The storm made landfall around 5:50 pm local time with the strength of a Category 1 hurricane and weakened to a tropical storm by Sunday night as it continued to move to the West and South, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.

Wipha is the sixth named storm of the year, and packed 106 mph sustained winds, heavy rain and sea swells as it brushed the southern edge of Hong Kong, the meteorological service said.

The storm is expected to dump heavy rain on the Pearl River Estuary throughout the day on Monday.

Hong Kong issued the highest level warning alert as the storm approached, the first time since 2023 that a No. 10 hurricane signal has been used. The warning level was downgraded as the storm moved away from the city.

More than 400 flights were rescheduled at Hong Kong’s international airport, and at least 200 were canceled at Macau International Airport, a local broadcaster reported.

Wipha also promoted some southern Chinese cities, ports and workplaces to close their doors. Heavy downpours also created local flooding and prompted widespread road closures in some areas.

At least 26 people have been treated for storm-related injuries, and heavy winds downed more than 470 trees. More than 250 people sought safety in government shelters.

Travelers began to re-enter the airport as the storm warning was downgraded and the Hong Kong airport said it would operate overnight on heightened storm alert status.

Wipha is expected to drift toward Vietnam where it is projected to make landfall later in the week, the meteorological service said.

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Hong Kong issues its highest tropical cyclone warning and China’s Hainan and Guangdong provinces have been put on high alert.

Hong Kong has issued its highest tropical cyclone warning as Typhoon Wipha batters the city, with authorities cancelling classes and grounding hundreds of flights and other transport services.

Wipha was located about 60km (37 miles) southwest of Hong Kong at around 1pm (05:00 GMT) on Sunday and was moving west towards coastal regions of southern China, according to the latest satellite reports from the United States weather monitor NOAA and Japan’s Himawari.

The Hong Kong observatory issued the T10 hurricane alert, saying “winds with mean speeds of 118kmph (73mph) or more are expected” and pose “considerable threat to Hong Kong”.

“Under the influence of its eyewall, hurricane force winds are affecting the southern part of the territory,” the observatory said, warning the public to “beware of destructive winds”.

Huge waves were spotted off the eastern coast of Hong Kong Island, according to the Reuters news agency.

A representative from Hong Kong’s Airport Authority on Sunday said about 500 flights have been cancelled, while 400 others are scheduled to take off or land later in the day.

China’s Hainan and Guangdong provinces were also put on high alert, according to the state news agency Xinhua. The cities of Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Macao cancelled or delayed all daytime flights on Sunday.

More than 200 people have sought refuge at government-run temporary shelters in Hong Kong. One man sought medical treatment at the emergency room of a public hospital on Sunday morning, with officials receiving more than a dozen reports of fallen trees.

Authorities also suspended Sunday’s classes at all day schools and daycare centres, while trains offered limited services.

Hong Kong last hoisted the T10 warning signal for Super Typhoon Saola in 2023.

Wipha, which in Thai means “splendour”, also passed over the Philippines at tropical storm strength and drenched parts of Taiwan.

The typhoon also intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the Philippines, and two people have been reported missing, according to the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

More than 370,000 people in the Philippines were affected by days of stormy weather, including 43,000 who fled to government-run emergency shelters or homes of relatives due to flooding, landslides and fierce winds.

More than 400 houses were damaged in the onslaught, officials in the Philippines said.