At least 15 people have died in Taiwan after a lake burst, causing severe flooding in the east – geologists describe it as a “tsunami from the mountains”
A month’s worth of rain is expected today in Zhuhai city as it hunkers down for the “King of Storms”, our correspondent Laura Bicker reports
In the last hours, Ragasa has weakened from super to severe typhoon status, but remains highly destructive with top winds of 67m/s
The equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, Ragasa is the world’s strongest storm this year
It has been roaring over the South China Sea for days, bringing heavy rains and winds to the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong and southern China. Typhoon Ragasa has taken a turn towards the north on approach to the Guangdong coast, and is set to make to landfall earlier and further north than previously forecast.
The most damaging part of the storm know as the “dirty side” is now approaching Yangjiang.
Tropical storms including hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones have a “clean” side and a “dirty” side, and the dirty side can be 50% stronger than the clean side.
In the northern hemisphere, the right hand side of the storm (relative to its motion) is know as the “dirty side” and can be much more destructive than the left hand side.Read more here
