Southern Chinese cities scaled back many aspects of daily life on Tuesday with school and business closures and flight cancellations as they braced for one of the strongest typhoons in years that has already killed three people and displaced thousands in the Philippines.

Residents living in flood-prone areas put sandbags and barriers at their doors, while others taped windows and glass doors to brace for strong winds.

Many people stockpiled food and other supplies, and some market vendors reported their goods were selling out fast.

Hong Kong's observatory said Super Typhoon Ragasa, which was packing maximum sustained winds near the center of about 195 kph (120 mph), is expected to move west-northwest at about 22 kph across the northern part of the South China Sea and edge closer to the coast of Guangdong province, the southern Chinese economic powerhouse.

Over 370,000 people were relocated in the province, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

China’s National Meteorological Center forecast the typhoon would make landfall in the coastal area between Taishan and Zhanjiang cities in Guangdong between midday and evening on Wednesday.

The observatory in Hong Kong issued storm warning signal No. 8, the third-highest in the city’s weather alert system. The city categorizes tropical cyclones with maximum sustained winds near the center of 185 kph or above as super typhoons to make residents extra vigilant about the approach of more intense storms.

The water level was forecast to rise about 2 meters over coastal areas in the Asian financial hub on Wednesday morning, and the maximum level in some areas could hit 4 to 5 meters above the typical lowest sea level.