A popular tourist island south of mainland China has been hit by the strongest typhoon in a decade, with the region facing potentially catastrophic winds and torrential rains.

According to state media reports, Super Typhoon Yagi hit the city of Wenchang in the northeast of Hainan Island at 4:00 p.m. local time (09:00 BST) on Friday with wind speeds of 223 km/h.

Yagi is the strongest typhoon to hit Hainan since Rammasun in 2014, when 46 people died. China’s meteorological service said it was the strongest typhoon to make landfall in the fall.

About 400,000 people on Hainan Island were evacuated before Yagi’s arrival. Trains, ships and flights were suspended and schools were closed.

Yagi – which doubled in strength after wreaking havoc in the northern Philippines earlier this week – is the second strongest typhoon this year.

Meteorologists say Yagi could cause “catastrophic” damage in Hainan and neighboring Guangdong, China’s most populous province.

Yagi is an “extremely dangerous and strong” super typhoon that could have “potentially catastrophic” consequences on land, the Indo-Pacific Tropical Cyclone Warning Center warned in a warning on Thursday.

A super typhoon corresponds to a category 5 hurricane.

By order of the authorities, all tourist attractions have been closed since Wednesday. They warned of “massive and destructive winds”.

With its white sandy beaches, luxury hotels and duty-free shops, Hainan is also called “China’s Hawaii”.

The world’s longest sea crossing, the main bridge connecting Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai in Guangdong, was also closed.

Parts of the region have been experiencing heavy rain and severe storms since Thursday. The Chinese Meteorological Administration expects rainfall of up to 500 mm.

Hainan, which boasts sandy beaches and clear waters, is no stranger to typhoons. But only nine of the 106 typhoons that have hit Hainan since 1949 have been classified as super typhoons, Reuters reported.

Chinese authorities expect Yagi to be the strongest typhoon to hit the southern coast of the United States in a decade.

Yagi is expected to not only hit China, but also make landfall in northern Vietnam in a weakened form late Saturday evening.

Tens of thousands of people in Hai Phong and Thai Binh provinces would be evacuated to safer areas by the end of Friday, the AFP news agency reported, citing local authorities.

Vietnamese media reported that the military had mobilized around 460,000 officers to help contain the effects of the storm.

Vietnam’s deputy agriculture minister warned that the crisis could hit regions that are “crucial to the socio-economic development” of the region.

“Carelessness could result in catastrophic damage,” said Nguyen Hoang Hiep.

Four airports in the north of the country, including Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, would be closed on Saturday due to the storm, the Vietnamese Civil Aviation Authority said.

Floods and landslides caused by Yagi killed at least 13 people in the northern Philippines earlier this week and forced thousands to flee to safer areas.

Scientists say Typhoons and hurricanes are getting stronger and more common with climate change. Warmer ocean waters mean storms absorb more energy, resulting in higher wind speeds.

A warmer atmosphere also stores more moisture, which can lead to heavier rainfall.

Yagi arrives one week after Typhoon Shanshan hits JapanAt least six people were killed and hundreds were injured.