Typhoon Saola made landfall in southern China on Saturday before dawn. Nearly nine lakh people were moved to safety and most of Hong Kong and parts of the coastal mainland suspended business, transport and classes. Damage appeared to be minimal. Some services were returning to normal by afternoon.

Guangdong province’s meteorological bureau said the powerful storm churned into an outlying district of the city of Zhuhai, just south of Hong Kong. It was weakening as it moved in a southwesterly direction along the Guangdong coast at a speed of around 17 kilometers per hour, prompting Hong Kong to resume flights and subway and rail train services.
The Hong Kong Observatory had issued a No. 10 hurricane alert, the highest warning under the city’s weather system. It was the first No. 10 warning since Super Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong in 2018. By mid-afternoon, that had been reduced to the considerably less serious Strong Wind Signal No. 3, although the Observatory warned of continuing rough seas and urged people to stay away from the coastline and refrain from watersports.

Meanwhile, Taiwan issued a warning on Saturday for a second typhoon, Haikui, which is expected to pass over the island on Sunday, before traveling onward to the central Chinese coast.