Residents of Hong Kong are bracing for the impacts from Typhoon Usagi into Sunday night.
Usagi strengthened into a super typhoon Thursday night local time (Thursday morning EDT) as it barreled toward southern Taiwan.
The mountainous terrain of Taiwan caused Usagi to weaken just below super typhoon status on Saturday local time. However, Usagi remains a very powerful and dangerous typhoon.
Winds near the eye of the storm were sustained at 175 kph (111 mph) late on Saturday at a reporting weather station in the Luzon Strait.
The typhoon’s strength will remain equal to that of a Category 2 or 3 hurricane in the Atlantic as it approaches Southeast China.
Despite weakening a bit further as it moves inland Sunday night, Usagi will still lash Hong Kong and Southeast China with widespread flooding rain, damaging winds and significant coastal flooding.
As of Sunday morning, EDT, there have already been several reports of winds gusting over 160 kph (100 mph).
RELATED: AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center Hong Kong Weather Center Hong Kong Satellite
The worst coastal flooding will occur as Usagi passes by to the west of a given point. In addition to flooding, the torrential rain threatens to trigger landslides in the higher terrain.
The center of Usagi will likely make landfall a bit to the northeast of Hong Kong, somewhere over eastern Guangdong Province in China. Even if the storm passes to the north and east of Hong Kong, strong winds and very heavy, driving rain will impact the area.
The coastline will be subject to an inundating 1.5- to 3-meter (5- to 10-foot) storm surge, with the highest values occurring to the east of Hon Kong.
Usagi’s damaging wind threat will lessen once the typhoon moves onshore and begins to weaken. Flooding rain, however, should continue to accompany Usagi as it tracks westward across South China and into northern Vietnam and Laos Monday through Wednesday.
Meteorologist Eric Leister contributed to this story
More at AccuWeather - Powerful Typhoon Usagi Barreling Toward Hong Kong
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