Wipha, a Thai name, passed over the Philippines at tropical storm strength and drenched parts of Taiwan on Saturday. In the Philippines, the storm intensified seasonal monsoon rains, leaving at least a villager dead in floodwaters in northern Cagayan province.

The tropical cyclone was expected to make landfall in mainland China later on Sunday with winds equivalent to those of a Category 2 Atlantic hurricane.

BEIJING (Reuters) -Hong Kong issued its highest storm warning on Sunday as Typhoon Wipha, packing winds of more than 167 kilometres (103 miles) per hour, brought heavy rain and wind across the territory,