Two south China cities to suspend school, production in response to approaching typhoon

Guangzhou, Sep 22 (IANS) Guangdong Province in south China on Monday raised its wind emergency response to Level II, with two cities announcing a series of suspension measures, as Typhoon Ragasa approaches.

The Level II response, the second-highest in China's four-tier warning system, was activated at 10 a.m. on Monday.

Schools will suspend classes starting Tuesday in the cities of Zhuhai and Jiangmen -- while work, production, public transport and business operations will also be suspended later on Tuesday, according to the local flood, drought and wind control headquarters.

All passenger ferry services to the Chuanshan Islands in Jiangmen will be suspended starting Tuesday, as the wind speed may reach about 20 metres per second in the nearby sea area, Xinhua news agency reported.

As of 10 a.m. Monday, the maritime safety administration of the province had relocated over 10,000 coastal vessels across the province to safe waters for shelter.

Typhoon Ragasa, the 18th typhoon of 2025, is forecast to likely make landfall along the central or western coastal areas of Guangdong on Wednesday as a strong or super strong typhoon -- and severely affect the province from Tuesday to Thursday, the provincial meteorological observatory said.

Earlier on September 21, Typhoon Ragasa had intensified into a super typhoon, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 km per hour and gusts of up to 230 km per hour, the Philippine weather bureau had said.

In its bulletin, the bureau had said Ragasa was located 535 km east of Tuguegarao City in northern Luzon, moving west-northwest at 15 km per hour. It may pass close or make landfall over Batanes or the Babuyan Islands.

The bureau had warned that Ragasa could bring heavy rains and strong winds, potentially triggering the highest tropical cyclone wind signal.

It further warned, "There is a high risk of life-threatening storm surge with peak heights exceeding 3 metres within the next 48 hours over low-lying or exposed coastal villages of the provinces of Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, and Ilocos Sur."

--IANS

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