Hong Kong issued its highest tropical cyclone warning as Typhoon Wipha battered the city, with authorities cancelling school classes and grounding hundreds of flights.

Wipha was located around 60km south-east of Hong Kong as of 10am on Sunday, according to the city’s weather observatory. Huge waves were spotted off the eastern coast of Hong Kong Island.

The observatory issued a T10 hurricane alert, its highest warning, saying “winds with mean speeds of 118 kilometres per hour or more are expected” and pose “considerable threat to Hong Kong”.

“Under the influence of its eyewall, hurricane force winds are affecting the southern part of the territory,” the observatory said, warning the public to “beware of destructive winds”.

China’s Hainan and Guangdong provinces were also put on high alert, state news agency Xinhua said.

The storm, which reached typhoon strength overnight, was headed toward Macau and the neighbouring Chinese city of Zhuhai. It was forecast to make landfall late Sunday and continue moving west, reaching Vietnam later this week.

A representative from Hong Kong’s airport authority said on Sunday that about 500 flights were cancelled due to weather, while about 400 flights were rescheduled to take off or land later in the day.

Hundreds of people sought refuge at government-run temporary shelters. One man sought medical treatment at the emergency room of a public hospital on Sunday morning, with officials receiving more than a dozen reports of fallen trees.

Authorities suspended Sunday’s classes at all day schools and daycare centres.

Local trains offered limited services while operations in open sections were suspended.

Wipha brought heavy rains and flooding to the Philippines and two people were reported missing, according to the country’s national disaster council.

Hong Kong last used the T10 warning signal for Super Typhoon Saola in 2023.