As Wipha prepares to make landfall between Shenzhen and Zhanjiang, students and workers have been sent home with many local businesses halting operations in anticipation of the hurricane’s impact, which is expected to persist as it moves onwards to Vietnam.

This evolving situation reflects the seriousness of Typhoon Wipha, akin to its record-breaking predecessors, with continued updates expected as conditions develop.

Joyce Lau contributed reporting from Hong Kong. Yan Zhuang is a Times reporter in Seoul specializing in breaking news.