Macau woke this morning to the first T8 signal of the year, which closed schools, government departments, suspended ferries to Hong Kong and led to dozens of flight cancellations.
Gusts of up to 133km/h were recorded overnight as Typhoon Kalmaegi barrelled past on its way towards Guangdong and Hainan Island.
Hundreds of passengers where stranded in Macau due to lack of transportation.
The T8 signal, that was hoisted for 12 hours, will be lowered early afternoon and replaced with the T3.
During the storm the Macau casinos continued to work but at a low pace.
The inner harbor of Macau registered floods that affected downtown Macau.
The border with China open as usual early in the morning.
The authorities registered 3 injured.
“Kalmaegi has made landfall over Wenchang, Hainan Island, and will continue to move further away from Hong Kong. Its associated squally showers will still affect Hong Kong intermittently. Although Kalmaegi is moving away, occasional gales will still affect Macau. Members of the public should remain on the alert.
Guangdong residents are still reeling from Typhoon Rammasun in July, the worst tropical storm to hit southern China in 41 years. The super typhoon killed 62 people and destroyed swathes of land.
The intensity of Kalmaegi is being compared to Rammasun, with the provincial governments of Guangdong and Hainan issuing top-level emergency response alerts.(macaunews)
