Typhoon Usagi was expected to make landfall just north of Hong Kong late Sunday or early Monday, with forecasters warning that it posed a "severe threat" to the southern Chinese city.
Usagi — Japanese for rabbit — was classified as a severe typhoon, packing sustained winds of 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour, with gusts of up to 213 kph (132 mph).
The storm was downgraded from a super typhoon on Saturday — when its sustained winds fell below 241 kilometers (150 miles) per hour — as it passed through the Luzon Strait separating the Philippines and Taiwan, likely sparing residents in both places from the most destructive winds near its eye.
In the Philippines, Usagi left at least two people dead and two others missing, while in Taiwan nine people were hurt by falling trees on Kinmen island off China's coast.
