This picture shows fallen trees in Shenzhen, China’s southern Guangdong province on July 21, 2025, a day after Typhoon Wipha hit China’s southern coast. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP) 

(KPL/AFP) Hong Kong was battered by strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday as Typhoon Wipha skirted along China's southern coast, with fallen trees and collapsed scaffolding spotted across the city.
Wipha was located around 140 kilometres (87 miles) to Hong Kong's southwest as of 5 pm (0900 GMT), according to the city's weather observatory.
Hong Kong's highest tropical cyclone warning, T10, was in effect for around seven hours but was downgraded to the third-highest T8 warning at 4:10 pm as Wipha departed the city.
"Gale to storm force southeasterly winds are still affecting parts of the territory occasionally," the observatory said.
"The intense rainbands of Wipha are persistently affecting the vicinity of Pearl River Estuary."
Neighbouring casino hub Macau issued its own top-level typhoon warning shortly after noon, with authorities suspending all public transportation services.
China's Hainan and Guangdong provinces were earlier put on high alert, according to state news agency Xinhua.
In Hong Kong, more than 250 people sought refuge at government-run temporary shelters. 

A man watches workers remove collapsed scaffolding brought down by strong winds and heavy rain in Hong Kong on July 20, 2025, after Typhoon Wipha skirted along China's southern coast. Hong Kong issued its highest tropical cyclone warning July 20 as Typhoon Wipha battered the city, with authorities cancelling classes and grounding hundreds of flights. (Photo by YAN ZHAO / AFP)
Officials said they received more than 450 reports of fallen trees and a handful of flooding reports, including at a main thoroughfare in the Wong Tai Sin district.
A representative from Hong Kong's Airport Authority earlier said that around 500 flights have been cancelled due to the weather, while around 400 flights were scheduled to take off or land later in the day.
Authorities suspended Sunday's classes at all day schools and daycare centres.
Local trains offered limited services while operations in open sections were suspended.
Wipha also brought heavy rains and flooding to the Philippines, where two people have been reported missing, according to the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Hong Kong last hoisted the T10 warning signal for Super Typhoon Saola in 2023.