Typhoon Ragasa batters Hong Kong and southern China after deadly path across Asia

Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical storm so far this year, has pounded Hong Kong and southern China with wind gusts exceeding 120 miles per hour.

(NBC)- Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical storm so far this year, has pounded Hong Kong and southern China with wind gusts exceeding 120 miles per hour.

The massive storm churned across the South China Sea for days, its scale visible from space and prompting widespread alerts across China. In Hong Kong, torrential rains flooded streets, with seawater even surging through the doors of a hotel lobby.

Ragasa first struck the Philippines earlier this week, triggering deadly floods and landslides. It then crossed south of Taiwan, where a burst lake caused catastrophic flooding, before making landfall again in China’s Guangdong Province.

Authorities evacuated more than a million people to shelters, state media reported, as the military delivered aid to affected communities. Streets in megacities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen remained eerily empty as millions sheltered indoors.

Experts warn that warming seas and climate change are fueling stronger, more destructive typhoons. At its peak, Ragasa reached the equivalent strength of a Category Five hurricane.

Though now expected to weaken, the storm is still forecast to bring heavy rains and additional damage as it moves toward Vietnam and Laos.