Super Typhoon Ragasa is rapidly intensifying and is on a direct path toward the Philippines and Taiwan, with landfall anticipated on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Authorities are taking proactive measures, including initiating evacuations in regions identified as vulnerable to severe flooding and landslides.
As of Sunday, September 21, Ragasa's sustained winds have reached an alarming 185 kilometers per hour, with gusts escalating to 230 kilometers per hour. The storm's westward trajectory towards the Philippines has prompted urgent directives for residents in at-risk areas to seek safer ground. Taiwan is also preparing for substantial impacts, with approximately 300 individuals scheduled for evacuation from Hualien County. The Central Weather Bureau anticipates issuing a typhoon warning for the mainland later on Sunday, with the storm expected to approach Taiwan's coast by Monday morning. The northern Luzon island in the Philippines is bracing for significant consequences, including severe flooding and landslides.
The Hong Kong Observatory has issued a warning of deteriorating weather conditions for Tuesday and Wednesday, drawing parallels to the storm surge and wind intensity experienced during Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut, known as Super Typhoon Ompong in the Philippines, was a catastrophic event in September 2018, causing widespread destruction and resulting in at least 134 fatalities across the Philippines, China, and Taiwan. The economic damage from Mangkhut was estimated at $3.77 billion USD in 2018.
Ragasa's current intensity places it in the Category 4 super typhoon range, with some forecasts suggesting it could reach Category 5 strength. The storm's rapid intensification is attributed to the unusually warm oceanic waters in the Western Pacific, a trend observed in recent years that supports the strengthening of tropical cyclones. The storm's wind field is described as symmetrical and expanding, with tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 85 miles from the eye.
The potential impacts of Ragasa are being compared to severe typhoons of the past. Meteorologists are warning that the potential storm surge heights could rival those observed during Typhoon Hato (up to 2.42 m in 2017) and Typhoon Mangkhut (up to 3.40 m in 2018), both of which inflicted severe damage on the region. These historical comparisons underscore the gravity of the situation as communities prepare for Ragasa's arrival.