Red Alert Issued for Super Typhoon Haikui

By Ned Kelly, September 5, 2023

No sooner had Super Typhoon Saola said see you later, than Super Typhoon Haikui is saying hello.

In response, China's National Meteorological Center issued a red alert for typhoons at 10am on Sunday, September 3.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Haikui, the 11th typhoon of the year, made landfall in Taiwan on Sunday afternoon (the first typhoon to make landfall on Taiwan since August 2019), bringing strong winds and torrential rain, and injuring four.

It is now headed for the Chinese mainland, and is expected to land on the southeast coast, near the border of Guangdong and Fujian provinces, as a strong tropical storm.

The impact of Haikui is predicted to last for a few days, with heavy rainstorms expected and coastal areas on high alert.

Educational authorities in Guangdong's Shantou announced on Sunday that the city's nurseries, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and off-campus education and training institutions would be closed from Monday.

In Fuzhou, Fujian Province, 29 reservoirs have been opened to cope with the effects of Haikui, having carried out pre-drainage and pre-discharge work in advance to lower water levels to cope with the heavy precipitation that Haikui is predicted to bring.

Haikui has become the second typhoon to impact China in the last few days, with Typhoon Saola having made landfall in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, at midnight on Friday, and again in Yangjiang, also in Guangdong, at noon on Saturday.

Saola brought strong winds and downpours to South China, with Hong Kong and several cities in Guangdong suspending public transportation and work and business activities.

Though Saola's impact is largely over, experts have warned against possible secondary disasters caused by sustained downpours (we're looking at you, Super Typhoon Haikui), including floods and flowing water, or falling objects.

At least 81 people have been killed in recent floods across China, with capital Beijing experiencing its heaviest rainfall for 140 years.

China has a long history of flooding, with climate change, dam building and inadequate planning regarding underground spaces having exacerbated the issue in recent times.

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