Wind and rainstorms howl across Yangxi county in South China's Guangdong Province on September 24, 2025, after Typhoon Ragasa, the 18th typhoon of 2025, made landfall in the province, with maximum wind speeds near its center reaching 40 meters per second. Photo: IC

Ragasa, the most powerful typhoon to hit China this year, made a second landfall in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Thursday morning after battering South China's Guangdong Province, leaving classes, work, production, business, and transport suspended in response to its substantial impact. 

After first coming ashore at Hailing Island in the city of Yangjiang in Guangdong, passing through Maoming and Zhanjiang and re-entering the sea, Ragasa, the 18th typhoon of this year, made a second landfall as a tropical storm with weakened strength at around 6:30 am on Thursday along the coast of Beihai city in Guangxi, with maximum wind force near its center reaching 20 meters per second, China Central Television (CCTV) reported. 

After making landfall in Beihai, the storm moved westward and re-entered the northern waters of the Beibu Gulf. As of 9 am, its center was located in the offshore waters about 25 kilometers southwest to Beihai, with maximum wind force near its center still around 20 meters per second. 

China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) has forecast that Ragasa will continue moving westward over the offshore waters of Guangxi, toward Vietnam's northern coast, with its intensity gradually weakening. Affected by Ragasa, multiple regions in Guangxi will continue to experience wind and downpour, with localized areas battered by heavy to torrential rainfall. 

The Guangxi meteorological observatory forecast that cities in Guangxi including Beihai, Qinzhou, Fangchenggang, Baise and Nanning will experience heavy rain or rainstorm on Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, rainfall in Guangxi will gradually weaken. 

Due to the typhoon, multiple areas in Guangxi have issued notices suspending classes and services. The Fangchenggang flood control and drought relief headquarters issued a notice on Thursday that the city has activated a Level III emergency response against typhoon. 

After assessment, the local authorities have decided to implement categorized control measures, including suspension of classes at schools and cram schools, operation at scenic spots, and services at entertainment venues on Thursday. 

Besides, public transportation, courier services, shopping malls, supermarkets, gas stations and other places that ensure people's livelihoods adjusted their operation schedule in accordance with the weather conditions in different time periods on Thursday. 

The city of Wuzhou also suspended all classes on Thursday and whether classes will be suspended on Friday will depend on subsequent warning signals issued by the city's meteorological authority and notices from the local education authority. 

Because of Ragasa, cities including Beihai and Qinzhou had implemented suspensions on classes, work, production, business and transport across the cities since Wednesday. Starting Wednesday afternoon, Qinzhou had raised its warning against typhoon and the emergency response to major meteorological disaster of typhoon to Level II from Level III. 

Besides, during Ragasa's passage through Guangxi, all coastal passenger ferry services, hydraulic engineering projects and port terminals were completely suspended. All 902 vessels in the coastal jurisdiction took shelter in harbor to avoid the storm. From Wednesday noon, crews of construction vessels, hazardous cargo ships, vessels under 3,000 gross tons, and offshore oil drilling platforms were evacuated ashore, with a total of 4,117 people evacuated, CCTV reported. 

Global Times