Typhoon Wipha slammed ashore along the southern Chinese coast Sunday evening, after drenching Hong Kong and Macau with heavy rain and whipping wind, the Guangdong meteorological service said.

The tropical cyclone made landfall in mainland China late Sunday afternoon with winds near to those of a Category 1 Atlantic hurricane.

Hong Kong issued its highest storm warning on Sunday (July 20) as Typhoon Wipha, packing winds of more than 103 miles (167 kilometres) per hour, brought heavy rain and wind across the territory, forcing the cancellation of more than 200 flights.