Super Typhoon Ragasa started moving away from Hong Kong on Wednesday morning after bringing the city to a standstill with hurricane-force winds, toppling hundreds of trees and prompting authorities to issue its most severe storm warning for the second time this year.

Ragasa came within around 120 kilometres south of the city as it moved west towards the western coast of Guangdong. As of noon, the storm was centred about 160km southwest of the territory.

However, the Hong Kong Observatory said the Hurricane Signal No. 10 – issued at 2.40am on Wednesday – will remain in force "for some time", warning that hurricane-force are still affecting the southwestern part of the territory occasionally.

"Local weather will be persistently adverse [on Wednesday] with frequent heavy squally showers and thunderstorms. Seas will be phenomenal with swells. There will be overtopping waves over the shoreline, which will be particularly significant along the eastern and southern coasts," it said.

The observatory recorded maximum wind gusts of up to 212 kilometres per hour at Ngong Ping, while Waglan Island, Tate’s Cairn and Cheung Chau were all buffeted by hurricane-force winds.

Many other areas, including North Point and Sai Kung, withstood storm force winds, while areas across the territory faced gusts of well over 100 km/h.

Authorities received 350 reports of fallen trees, 12 reports of flooding and one landslide as of 11am, while the Hospital Authority said 56 people had sought treatment at the accident and emergency units at public hospitals.

Water levels over the eastern coast of Hong Kong have generally risen to 3.4 metres or more above chart datum, and waters on the west coast is expected to keep rising slightly for until it peaks "in the next couple of hours."
_____________________________
Last updated: 2025-09-24 HKT 12:17