One of the largest storms to ever hit China’s coast made landfall on Friday.
Accuweather reported that Typhoon Rammasun, the same storm that battered the Philippines earlier this week, intensified in the South China Sea and is making landfall as the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. It was recently upgraded from typhoon to super typhoon status.
CNN meteorologists estimate that the super typhoon will bring over 150 mph wind gusts to the Leizhou Peninsula Friday evening, local time. The storm passed over Hainan in the afternoon.
Typhoon Rammasun, which means "thunder god" in Thai, has been blamed for at least 38 deaths in the Philippines. In addition to heavy and damaging winds, Rammasun is also expected to bring torrential downpours to the region which may result in coastal flooding, storm surges and mudslides.
Tens of thousands of residents near the landfall region have evacuated.
The Super Typhoon could affect Hainan Island, southern parts of Guangdong and Guangxi Province as well as northern Vietnam the most.
Accuweather noted that the storm should be downgraded to post-tropical status by Sunday.