At least 25 people died after Typhoon Usagi has hit Guangdong province of south China, the government has said.
Winds of up to 110 mph were recorded in some areas, toppling trees and blowing cars off roads. Its victims drowned or were hit by debris.
Typhoon Usagi has affected 3.5 million people on the Chinese mainland.
Trains from Guangzhou to Beijing have been suspended and hundreds of flights from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong have been cancelled.
However, Hong Kong has escaped the worst of the storm.
Weather officials say that the ferocity of the storm has abated as it progressed into southern China, but financial markets in Hong Kong were closed for part of Monday morning.
More than 80,000 people were moved to safety in Fujian province and the authorities have deployed at least 50,000 relief workers, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Power supplies in many parts of the province and in Guangdong have been cut off.
The typhoon caused 7,100 homes to collapse and led to direct economic losses of 3.24 billion yuan ($526 million), Xinhua added.
At least 25 people died after Typhoon Usagi has hit Guangdong province of south China
“It is the strongest typhoon I have ever encountered,” Xinhua quoted Luo Hailing, a petrol station attendant in Shanwei – in the eastern part of Guangdong province – as saying.
“[It was] so terrible, lucky we made preparations.”
Hong Kong’s port – one of the world’s busiest – shut down as the densely populated territory braced itself for the storm – the most powerful of this year.
Although officials say that Hong Kong escaped the worst ravages of the weather, the South China Morning Post said that Usagi still caused disruption and disarray, bringing flooding to some areas.
More than 400 flights were cancelled or delayed, Hong Kong’s Airport Authority said.
On Sunday evening the Post reported that Usagi’s designation had been reduced from Severe Typhoon to Typhoon and it was moving away from Hong Kong.
On Monday, classes were suspended in Hong Kong, Macau and 14 cities in Guangdong province, Xinhua reported.
Typhoon Usagi – which means rabbit in Japanese – had produced winds of 103 mph as it closed in on China’s densely populated Pearl River Delta.
China’s National Meteorological Centre warned that Typhoon Usagi would bring gales and downpours to parts of the southern coast.
People living in southern China are used to typhoons, but Usagi hit the region with unusual force.
The storm hit just as millions were travelling for China’s mid-Autumn festival – a national, three day holiday when many visit family – leading to flight and high speed train cancellations.
The storm killed two people on Friday as it crossed the Luzon Strait between Taiwan and the Philippines.
Parts of the Philippines were badly hit by floods caused by the typhoon on Monday.
“The flood water is chest-deep in many areas,” Kay Khonghun, mayor of Subic, a town northwest of Philippine capital Manila, told AFP news agency.
“The rain is pounding and the water keeps on rising,” he said.
Typhoons are common during the summer in parts of East Asia, where the warm moist air and low pressure conditions enable tropical cyclones to form.
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Hong Kong is preparing for the arrival of typhoon Usagi, which is expected to be the strongest storm to hit the city in more than 30 years.
Officials have suspended activity at the port – one of the world’s busiest – and cancelled most flights.
In mainland China thousands of boats in the Pearl River Delta have been taken inland due to fears of high tides.
At least two people were killed by the storm as it crossed the Luzon Strait between Taiwan and the Philippines.
Typhoo Usagi – which means rabbit in Japanese – packed winds of 103 mph as it closed in on China’s densely populated Pearl River Delta.
China’s National Meteorological Centre has issued its highest alert, warning that Typhoon Usagi would bring gales and downpours to parts of the southern coast, according to Xinhua news agency.
More than 80,000 people have moved to safer ground in Fujian province, Xinhua said, and the authorities in Guangdong have asked more than 44,000 fishing boats to return to port.
Hong Kong is preparing for the arrival of typhoon Usagi, which is expected to be the strongest storm to hit the city in more than 30 years
Technicians at the Guangdong nuclear plant have been trying to ensure the installation is secure ahead of the typhoon.
Many airlines have cancelled flights to cities in Guangdong and Fujian, and shipping has been suspended between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, Xinhua reported.
In Hong Kong, meteorologists are warning of severe floods due to powerful winds and exceptionally high tides.
The Hong Kong Observatory warned of “severe” disruption to the city.
If the situation does not improve soon, many businesses including the stock exchange will be shut on Monday.
En route to Hong Kong and southern China, Typhoon Usagi forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 people in southern Taiwan.
It also hit the northernmost islands of the Philippines, where it cut communication and power lines and triggered landslides.
Typhoons are common during the summer in parts of East Asia, where the warm moist air and low pressure conditions enable tropical cyclones to form.
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Villages have been evacuated, ferries suspended and flights cancelled in Philippines and Taiwan as Typhoon Usagi goes through the Luzon Strait which divides them.
Meteorologists say the storm is the most powerful this year and will bring a cumulative rainfall of 39in as it heads towards China.
The authorities there have announced a red alert ahead of the expected arrival of the storm on Monday.
The US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre said on Friday that Usagi was packing sustained winds of 150 mph, with gusts of up to 185 mph, making it the equivalent of a strong category four Atlantic hurricane.
Taiwan is reported to have deployed more than 1,600 soldiers in “high risk” areas prone to flooding and landslides while placing 24,000 others on standby.
Authorities in the Philippines are reported to have evacuated nearly 250 people in the northern agricultural province of Tarlac, while ferries are restricted to their ports.
There are particular concerns about the impact of the storm on the Batanes islands in the north of the Philippines, with warnings that large trees could be uprooted, plantations flattened and power and communications severely disrupted by flash flooding, landslides and storm surges.
The emergency services have been put on heightened alert, with the Red Cross stockpiling first aid kits and food packs in some areas.
Villages have been evacuated, ferries suspended and flights cancelled in Philippines and Taiwan as Typhoon Usagi goes through the Luzon Strait which divides them
“Damage to affected communities can be very heavy,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.
“The situation is potentially very destructive to communities. All travel and outdoor activities should be cancelled.”
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Usagi would cause intense rainfall of 0.4in – 0.7in per hour within a 435 miles range.
Emergency and health personnel in some provinces have also been placed on standby, the Council said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau issued a land warning on Friday morning, and forecast heavy rainfall for northern and eastern Taiwan.
Usagi was projected to make landfall in southern China on Sunday with its outer edges expected to hit the coast of Guangdong and Hong Kong.
The storm is forecast to weaken by Sunday with maximum sustained winds of 98 mph.
China’s State Oceanic Administration has issued a class I emergency response for the typhoon, its highest maritime disaster response level, state media report.
China’s National Meteorological Centre has also issued a yellow alert in its weather warning system.
In August, at least two people died and thousands lost their homes after Typhoon Utor hit the northern Philippines.
Typhoons are common during the summer in parts of East Asia, where the warm moist air and low pressure conditions enable tropical cyclones to form.
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