For residents of Hong Kong and Macau, the start of the second week of September 2025 brought a familiar but still unnerving routine: shuttered schools, grounded flights, and the eerie hush that settles before a storm. This time, it was Severe Tropical Storm Tapah—first flagged as a Typhoon by meteorological authorities—that swept through the region, leaving behind a trail of disruption and a fresh reminder of nature’s volatility in an era of climate change.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), Typhoon Signal No. 8—the city’s third-highest storm warning—was raised at 9:20 pm local time on Sunday, September 7, 2025. The warning signaled that gale-force winds of at least 63 km/h (39 mph) or above were expected, and it set the city on high alert. As reported by The Watchers, maximum sustained winds of 60 km/h were clocked at Ngong Ping, with gusts soaring past 89 km/h. The Observatory cautioned the public to secure doors and windows, reinforce shutters, clear blocked drains, and avoid standing near exposed windows. Residents were also advised to stay tuned to official updates and switch off neon signage to minimize risks.
By midnight, Tapah was centered about 250 kilometers south-southwest of Hong Kong, moving northwest at roughly 18 km/h. Forecasts suggested the storm would skirt within 200 kilometers southwest of the city around sunrise on September 8, before making landfall in western Guangdong province. As the hours ticked by, the city braced for the worst, with the T8 warning expected to remain in force until at least 11:00 am on Monday.
Early Monday morning, the amber rainstorm warning—Hong Kong’s lowest rain alert—was raised just before 5:00 am and remained in effect for more than six hours, according to the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP). The combination of storm surge and spring tides saw coastal water levels, especially in western Hong Kong, rise above normal, heightening the risk of flooding in low-lying areas. The city’s famous harbor, usually bustling with ferries and tourists, was eerily quiet as several ferry services were suspended the previous evening.
The impact on daily life was immediate and widespread. The Education Bureau ordered the closure of all day schools—including primary, secondary, special schools, and kindergartens—for September 8. Public administration services and non-higher education classes in Macau were also suspended for the entire day, as reported by the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG). The Airport Authority in Hong Kong announced that 53 departing flights and 47 arriving flights were canceled, affecting around 2,000 passengers. Greater Bay Airlines adjusted nine flights between Hong Kong and cities such as Xuzhou, Taipei, Zhoushan, Bangkok, and Quanzhou. Meanwhile, rail services continued operating, but MTR bus service was set to be suspended three hours after the T8 signal was issued.
By late morning on September 8, the worst of Tapah’s fury had passed. The HKO announced that the Typhoon 8 signal would be downgraded to Typhoon 3 at 1:10 pm, signaling that local winds were expected to weaken gradually as Tapah moved inland. "Tapah is moving into inland Guangdong and will depart from Hong Kong progressively. Local winds are expected to weaken gradually," the Observatory stated on Monday. The amber rainstorm warning was canceled at 11:35 am. In Macau, the Typhoon Signal No. 8 was scheduled to be lowered to No. 3 at 3:00 pm, with public transportation services set to resume as soon as the warning was downgraded. Still, the SMG warned that the city would continue to experience occasional heavy showers and thunderstorms from Tapah’s outer rainbands, with winds reaching force 7 to 8 and strong gusts.
Tapah’s landfall occurred just before 9:00 am on Monday in Taishan, a city in southwest Guangdong. The storm’s effects rippled outward: nearby cities such as Jiangmen, Maoming, and Zhuhai raised their own typhoon warnings and announced school closures, according to Xinhua. By 1:00 pm, Tapah was estimated to be about 150 kilometers west-northwest of Macau, moving north-northwest at about 18 km/h and gradually weakening as it pressed inland.
For many in the region, the drama of Tapah was a reminder of the annual typhoon season—a period marked by hot, humid months and the ever-present threat of extreme weather. In fact, just weeks earlier, in late July, Hong Kong had hoisted the Typhoon 10 signal—the highest possible storm warning—when Typhoon Wipha battered China’s southern coast. That storm unleashed record-breaking torrential rain and led to over 500 flight cancellations, marking the first Typhoon 10 signal since the infamous Typhoon Mangkhut in September 2018, one of the most powerful storms in Hong Kong’s recorded history.
These increasingly frequent and severe storms have not gone unnoticed by experts. As Leung Wing-mo, former assistant director of the Hong Kong Observatory, told HKFP last month, "By nature, the weather fluctuates. Climate change exacerbates these fluctuations, causing weather to be more unstable and more extreme." The pattern is clear: while the region has always contended with powerful typhoons, the intensity and unpredictability of these events appear to be on the rise, a trend widely attributed to global climate change.
Authorities across Hong Kong and Macau have responded with a mix of caution and efficiency. The HKO, SMG, and related agencies have refined their warning systems and public advisories, offering timely updates and clear instructions for residents. The Education Bureau and public service departments have demonstrated a willingness to act quickly, prioritizing safety over convenience. Transportation providers, from airlines to ferry operators, have implemented contingency plans and passenger assistance services to manage the inevitable disruptions.
Still, for the thousands of people affected—students missing a day of school, travelers stranded at airports, families huddled indoors—the experience is a potent reminder of the region’s vulnerability and resilience. As Tapah moves inland and its winds subside, the cleanup begins and life edges back to normal. But the memory of the storm lingers, underscoring both the advances in meteorological science and the ongoing challenge of adapting to an ever-shifting climate.
Hong Kong and Macau, perched on the edge of the South China Sea, have weathered countless storms before. Yet each typhoon, each warning signal, and each disruption is a chapter in the region’s ongoing story—a story shaped by geography, technology, and, increasingly, a changing climate that refuses to be ignored.
