Two people have been killed and 2.5 million evacuated as Typhoon Mangkhut slams south China.
Mangkhut, which also hit Hong Kong, is packing winds of up to 125mph and has triggered storm surges as high as 10ft in Guangdong province.
It earlier caused devastation in the Philippines, leaving at least 64 people dead and more than 40 more, mostly gold miners, trapped in a landslide.
As the typhoon moved on to southern China and densely populated Hong Kong, it smashed windows and forced the cancellation of 889 flights.
Boats were thrown onto the shore by powerful waves and the immense rainfall has brought fears of landslides, although none have yet been reported in Hong Kong.
Gale force winds uprooted trees and swayed high-rise buildings, according to Hong Kong residents.
“It swayed for quite a long time, at least two hours. It made me feel so dizzy,” said Elaine Wong, who lives in a high-rise tower in Kowloon, northern Hong Kong.
Images have revealed collapsed building scaffolding and trees bending in the strong winds across Guangdong province.
Typhoon Mangkhut had the equivalent strength of a category 5 Atlantic hurricane when it made landfall on the Philippines on Saturday.
About 87,000 people had evacuated from high-risk areas of the Philippines.
They were advised not to return home until the danger had passed.
Hong Kong’s home affairs department said it had opened 48 temporary shelters and was currently housing more than 1,200 people displaced by the storm.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s hospital authority reported that 213 people had sought medical treatment as a result of the typhoon.
Transport services on Hong Kong Island have been suspended, as have ferries to mainland China.
Hong Kong’s government has warned employers they could face prosecution if they don’t recognise the dangers in demanding their employees come to work, or if they threatened to dock workers’ annual leave for sheltering during the storm.
The Hong Kong Observatory said that although Mangkhut had weakened slightly, its extensive, intense rainbands were bringing heavy downfall.
Authorities in southern China have issued a red weather alert, the most severe warning, as forecasters said the region would face a “severe test caused by wind and rain” and urged officials to prepare for possible disasters.