Hong Kong to fall in ‘dangerous semicircle’ of ‘king of storms’ Ragasa: experts
Meteorologists say Ragasa’s projected path resembles Mangkhut’s and Hato’s, but could bring even more violent winds and cause greater damage
With a projected path resembling that of the super typhoons Hato, which struck the city in 2017, and Mangkhut in 2018, Ragasa presented a significant threat and could bring even more violent winds to Hong Kong, they noted.
Dubbed the “king of storms” by the China Meteorological Administration, Ragasa is expected to be the most powerful typhoon to make landfall in the country this year.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued the No 8 warning signal at 2.20pm on Tuesday, as Ragasa approached from around 380km (236 miles) southeast of the city. The forecaster said it would reassess and potentially raise the warning to a higher level between 11pm and 3am the next day, depending on the storm’s progression.
Experts warned that Ragasa’s likely route, skirting south of the city, could lead to very severe consequences for Hong Kong.
Clarence Fong Chi-kong, an independent forecaster and founder of the website Weather Underground of Hong Kong, said: “Its current predicted path, passing to the south of Hong Kong, is considered one of the most dangerous for the city and the wider Pearl River Delta region.”