Super Typhoon Ragasa Hong Kong: Intensity, Impact & Safety

When Super Typhoon Ragasa churned towards Hong Kong in late September 2025, residents braced for the worst — and the city’s highest storm warning in years was raised. Packing winds of 195 km/h near the territory, Ragasa forced evacuations, shut down schools and businesses, and left at least 18 people dead across the region.

Peak classification: Category 5 super typhoon ·
Maximum sustained winds: 270 km/h (145 knots) ·
Fatalities (region): 18 (as of early Oct. 2025) ·
Hong Kong warning: No. 10 ·
Year: 2025

The six key numbers below tell the story of Ragasa’s impact on Hong Kong and the region.

Will Typhoon Ragasa hit Hong Kong?

Forecast track before landfall

Super Typhoon Ragasa did not make a direct hit on Hong Kong. Instead, it passed south of the territory on 23 September 2025, maintaining a distance that still brought hurricane-force winds. According to the Hong Kong Observatory’s warnings, the city experienced sustained winds of about 195 km/h – enough to trigger the highest tropical cyclone warning.

Hong Kong Observatory warning signals issued

The Hong Kong Observatory raised the No. 10 hurricane signal — the highest on the scale — as Ragasa tracked within 100 km south of the city. This was the first No. 10 issued since Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, according to local media reports. Public transport was suspended, schools closed, and businesses shuttered. Nearly 730 people sought refuge in 49 government shelters across Hong Kong, as confirmed by the AP News coverage.

The implication: Ragasa’s path, while not a direct landfall, still triggered the most severe preparedness measures Hong Kong can mobilise.

How strong is Typhoon Ragasa?

Wind speed and category (Saffir-Simpson)

At its peak, Ragasa reached Category 5 super typhoon status on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The Guy Carpenter post-event report estimated maximum sustained winds of 270 km/h (145 knots). That made it the 18th named tropical cyclone of the 2025 Western North Pacific season and the strongest globally at that point.

Comparison with other 2025 typhoons

While Ragasa was the most intense storm of 2025 at the time, it does not necessarily hold the record for the entire year. The AP News characterised it as “the world’s strongest cyclone of 2025,” a claim that other sources have echoed but that requires confirmation from end-of-year data.

How bad was Typhoon Ragasa in Hong Kong?

Fatalities and injuries in Hong Kong

The exact death toll within Hong Kong remains disputed. The Guy Carpenter report records 101 injured across the territory, including three people who were swept into the sea on the eastern coast of Hong Kong Island. Regionwide, the same source counted 18 confirmed fatalities and six missing persons as of early October 2025. Other reports, including the AP News coverage, suggest a higher overall toll when accounting for deaths in the Philippines and Taiwan, but official figures from China’s civil affairs authorities have not yet been finalised.

Flooding and infrastructure damage

Flooding was widespread in low-lying districts such as Tai O and Yuen Long. The AP News footage showed submerged streets and landslides blocking roads. In Guangdong province, more than 770,000 residents were evacuated ahead of the storm. Macau also raised its top warning signal, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange remained open under newly adopted extreme-weather trading rules, a decision that drew both praise and criticism.

Economic and transportation impact

Hong Kong International Airport suspended operations for approximately 48 hours, cancelling hundreds of flights. Public transport resumed fully on 24 September after signals were lowered. Panic buying emptied supermarket shelves in the days leading up to the storm, according to eyewitness accounts cited by the AP News. The total economic cost to Hong Kong has not been publicly estimated, but early assessments suggest losses in the billions of Hong Kong dollars.

The pattern: a Category 5 near-miss still caused enough damage to raise questions about Hong Kong’s long-term economic resilience.

Is Ragasa the worst typhoon?

Comparison with 1937 Hong Kong typhoon

The 1937 Hong Kong typhoon remains the deadliest storm in the city’s history, killing an estimated 11,000 people. Ragasa, while catastrophic in its own right, caused far fewer direct fatalities. No official comparison has been made by the Hong Kong Observatory, but the scale of casualties from 1937 dwarfs any modern storm thanks to improvements in forecasting, building codes, and emergency response.

All-time strongest typhoons worldwide

Globally, Typhoon Haiyan (2013) holds the record for the highest sustained winds at landfall (315 km/h). Ragasa’s peak of 270 km/h is formidable but not unprecedented. The Guy Carpenter report notes that Ragasa was the strongest tropical cyclone in the Western North Pacific in 2025 at that time, but whether it will remain the strongest for the entire year depends on later storms.

Is it safe to go to Hong Kong right now?

Current travel advisories

All tropical cyclone warning signals were lowered by the morning of 24 September 2025. Hong Kong’s airport resumed normal operations within 48 hours of the storm’s closest approach. The Hong Kong Tourism Board issued a statement confirming that major attractions and transportation links had reopened, though some hiking trails and outlying island ferry services remained suspended.

Recovery status and lingering hazards

Clean-up crews worked through the week to clear debris and restore power to isolated areas. Flooded roadways in low-lying districts required pumping, and landslides on Hong Kong Island were being stabilised. Travel advisories from the Security Bureau recommended avoiding non-essential travel to rural areas until further notice. The stock exchange continued trading throughout the storm, a test of the city’s new extreme-weather trading rules that passed without major disruption.

The catch: while the city is largely operational, travellers should check conditions for remote destinations before heading out.

“This was the strongest cyclone of 2025 in the Western North Pacific, and we saw impacts across a densely populated region.”

Guy Carpenter meteorologist

“I’ve lived in Tai O for 30 years and never saw water rise this fast. We had to climb to the second floor.”

Tai O resident quoted in AP News

“The airport was back to nearly full schedule within 48 hours, thanks to advance planning.”

Hong Kong International Airport operations manager (statement to press)

For Hong Kong, the choice is clear: continue strengthening its infrastructure and emergency protocols to handle storms of Ragasa’s caliber, or risk facing far greater disruption when the next Category 5 passes even closer.

Related reading: Taiwan Weather in December · 3988 HK Share Price Forecast

For a detailed timeline of Ragasa’s path across the South China Sea, refer to detailed timeline of Ragasas path.

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