A category eight typhoon warning was downgraded to category three by the Hong Kong Observatory at 10:40am today. A Strong Wind Signal No. 3 remains in effect, as does a thunderstorm warning.

A government source said 40 flights were cancelled and some 500 were delayed at Shenzhen and Hong Kong airports this morning. However, all land and sea transport have now resumed normal operation with high-speed trains confirmed to be running from Guangzhou to Nanchang. As well, public offices, businesses and schools have reopened.

A total of 17 people were injured and taken to hospital in Hong Kong as a result of the winds, with 95 reports of downed trees throughout the city. A total of 143 people are said to have used Hong Kong’s 25 safety shelters.

Typhoon Kalmaegi is expected to be at the Qiongzhou Strait 12 hours from now after having made landfall on the island of Hainan this morning. Kalmaegi is expected to hit Mainland China at the Leizhou Peninsula.

In Shenzhen, winds are expected to subside later this afternoon but scattered showers will continue to persist. A code blue typhoon signal remains in place.

Here are some photos of Zhuhai during the typhoon from a Weibo user:

Photos of Zhanjiang:

Photos of Hainan:

Photos: Information Times

The National Aviation Management Department sent out an aviation delay red alert last night that spoke of “exceptionally busy airspace” above Shanghai during the afternoon of July 29. For this reason, Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong airports will both have their service decreased by 75% along with the airport in Zhenzhou.

As well, the following airports will not be able to accept any arriving flights at all: the Jiangsu provincial cities of Xuzhou, Lianyungang, Zhun’an, Yancheng, Changzhou, Yangzhou, and Nantong, as well as the city of Linyi in Shandong Province.

Furthermore, there will be no departures from these airports: the Jiangxi provincial cities of Nanchang, Ganzhou, Jinggangshan, Jiujiang, Yichun, and Jingdezhen; the Zhejiang provincial cities of Luqiao and Wenzhou; and also Wuyishan in Fujian Province.

The delays are blamed on local weather conditions that include rain and thunder, however many suspect they are a result of military exercises. Tempers have already flared as fights have broken out at Shenzhen Airport due to delays.

Photo: MSN

An instrument landing system is a ground-based approach system providing precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting to enable a safe landing. It is illegal to allow a plane to land at an airport where the system isn’t functioning, a pilot told the newspaper.

Airport authorities said 57 flights were affected by the breakdown. Twenty-five flights — 15 arrivals and 10 departures — were delayed for more than an hour.

Ten flights were diverted to Shenzhen and Zhuhai airports while another 10 arrivals were canceled by about 10 pm. Operations at the airport, one of the three busiest in China, returned to normal after midnight.

There has been much dissatisfaction with flight delays and cancellations in China this year. It is common for a flight to be delayed without warning or explanation.

The most notorious case this year was when 20 people blocked the runway at Shanghai Pudong Airport to protest the delay of a Shenzhen Airlines flight.