Tropical Storm Higos slams China, Vietnam with flooding rain
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Aug 18, 2020 4:12 PM EDT
Hongkongers were cleaning up their city in the wake of typhoon Higos as it moved away from the city on August 19.
The threat for flooding has been renewed across parts of southeastern Asia as Tropical Storm Higos plowed into southern China.
Higos strengthened into a tropical storm in the middle of the South China Sea on Tuesday, and, at one point, packed winds of 95 km/h (60 mph) as it traveled northwestward.
As a tropical storm, Higos made landfall on Wednesday in the southern Guangdong province of China, just southwest of Hong Kong and Macau.
Higos will continue to move northwestward into the end of the week, over the mountainous terrain which is expected to ultimately the the demise of the system.
"Higos will lose wind strength as it moves inland, allowing for diminishing winds; however, the flooding rain threat will continue," said AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster and Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.
Southeastern China and Hong Kong first started to see waves of heavy downpours on Tuesday. Rough seas battered the shoreline and locations like Tate’s Cairn, and Cheung Chau Beach reported wind gusts as high as 83 km/h (52 mph).
Hong Kong issued a No 9 signal tropical warning at the height of the bad weather for the first since Typhoon Mangkhut; the typhoon hit the region back in September of 2018 and reached No 10 signal.
Hong Kong Futures Exchange closed trading for several hours as Higos passed just to the south.
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The heavies train and flooding risk will persist through Friday across Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and Hunan in China with squally rains and downpours. However, Higos will continue to enhance rainfall as far as northern Vietnam and far-northern Laos.
The above satellite image shows Higos spinning in the South China sea in the late afternoon on Tuesday, Aug. 18. (Photo/RAMMB)
Widespread rainfall of 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) is expected from Hong Kong to cities like Hanoi and Hai Phong in northern Vietnam.
"An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 250 mm (10 inches) is possible, particularly in the higher elevations of southern China or northeastern Vietnam," said Nicholls.
With this much rain, particularly after Tropical Storm Sinlaku hit the same areas a few weeks ago, flooding is a serious concern. Villages in the mountainous terrains should be prepared for mudslides.
There has been an abundance of flooding problems, not just on the southern China coast, but across the whole country this summer.
Just this week, floodwaters rose to the feet of a huge Buddha statue in the Sichuan province on Tuesday, a feat that has not occurred in decades according to Bloomberg. The dangerous flooding forced more than 60,000 residents to evacuate.
This is not the only tropical activity expected in the West Pacific basin through the end of August.
"There is the potential for another tropical system to develop late this week or this weekend, likely east of the Philippines," Nicholls warned.
AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to monitor the West Pacific Ocean basin and waters around the world for more tropical activity.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
Tropical Storm Higos slams China, Vietnam with flooding rain
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Aug 18, 2020 4:12 PM EDT
Hongkongers were cleaning up their city in the wake of typhoon Higos as it moved away from the city on August 19.
The threat for flooding has been renewed across parts of southeastern Asia as Tropical Storm Higos plowed into southern China.
Higos strengthened into a tropical storm in the middle of the South China Sea on Tuesday, and, at one point, packed winds of 95 km/h (60 mph) as it traveled northwestward.
As a tropical storm, Higos made landfall on Wednesday in the southern Guangdong province of China, just southwest of Hong Kong and Macau.
Higos will continue to move northwestward into the end of the week, over the mountainous terrain which is expected to ultimately the the demise of the system.
"Higos will lose wind strength as it moves inland, allowing for diminishing winds; however, the flooding rain threat will continue," said AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster and Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.
Southeastern China and Hong Kong first started to see waves of heavy downpours on Tuesday. Rough seas battered the shoreline and locations like Tate’s Cairn, and Cheung Chau Beach reported wind gusts as high as 83 km/h (52 mph).
Hong Kong issued a No 9 signal tropical warning at the height of the bad weather for the first since Typhoon Mangkhut; the typhoon hit the region back in September of 2018 and reached No 10 signal.
Hong Kong Futures Exchange closed trading for several hours as Higos passed just to the south.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The heavies train and flooding risk will persist through Friday across Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and Hunan in China with squally rains and downpours. However, Higos will continue to enhance rainfall as far as northern Vietnam and far-northern Laos.
The above satellite image shows Higos spinning in the South China sea in the late afternoon on Tuesday, Aug. 18. (Photo/RAMMB)
Widespread rainfall of 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) is expected from Hong Kong to cities like Hanoi and Hai Phong in northern Vietnam.
"An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 250 mm (10 inches) is possible, particularly in the higher elevations of southern China or northeastern Vietnam," said Nicholls.
With this much rain, particularly after Tropical Storm Sinlaku hit the same areas a few weeks ago, flooding is a serious concern. Villages in the mountainous terrains should be prepared for mudslides.
Related:
There has been an abundance of flooding problems, not just on the southern China coast, but across the whole country this summer.
Just this week, floodwaters rose to the feet of a huge Buddha statue in the Sichuan province on Tuesday, a feat that has not occurred in decades according to Bloomberg. The dangerous flooding forced more than 60,000 residents to evacuate.
This is not the only tropical activity expected in the West Pacific basin through the end of August.
"There is the potential for another tropical system to develop late this week or this weekend, likely east of the Philippines," Nicholls warned.
AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to monitor the West Pacific Ocean basin and waters around the world for more tropical activity.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo