Typhoon Hato

Typhoon Hato, known in the Philippines as Severe Tropical Storm Isang, was a powerful tropical cyclone that struck South China in late August 2017. The thirteenth named storm and fourth typhoon of the 2017 Pacific typhoon season, Hato developed as a tropical depression east of Luzon on August 19. It strengthened into a tropical storm the next day and emerged over the northern South China Sea on August 21, where it reached typhoon intensity. Undergoing rapid intensification on August 23, Hato became a Category 3-equivalent typhoon before making landfall in Jinwan, Zhuhai. The storm quickly weakened over land and dissipated on August 24.

One of the strongest typhoons to affect Macau and Hong Kong in the past 50 years, Hato caused extensive damage totaling US$6.82 billion along its path. Most of the destruction occurred in mainland China, where the storm produced a powerful storm surge that triggered severe flooding across several provinces along the Pearl River and generated wind gusts up to 240 km/h (150 mph). Both Hong Kong and Macau raised their highest tropical cyclone signals in anticipation of Hato, which caused more than US$1 billion in damage in each territory. While weakening, the storm also brought heavy rain and a tornado to Vietnam. In total, 24 fatalities were reported.

Hato made landfall along the southern coast of Zhuhai with Category 3-equivalent intensity, featuring both one- and two-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph), which is strong, though not as powerful as other major typhoons. Three previous typhoons, Wanda (1962), Ruby (1964), and Vicente (2012), followed similar east-southeast to west-northwest tracks, making landfall on slightly different parts of the coast. Hato's forward speed was the fastest among them, reaching 32.5 km/h (20.2 mph), nearly twice that of Wanda.