Author: Julia Hazel, PhD
While the Atlantic remains relatively quiet, Pacific Typhoon activity has shifted into high gear. In the wake of the path of Tropical Storm Mitag, Super Typhoon Ragasa formed over the Philippines Sea on September 18th. Ragasa quickly became the strongest storm on earth in 2025, reaching sustained wind speeds of over 165 mph, which is equivalent on the Saffir-Simpson scale to a Category 5 hurricane. Based on current trajectories, Ragasa is on track for significant supply chain disruptions, prompting evacuations and closures to airports, container terminals, factories, and transportation from the Philippines to southern China. The storm has the potential to impact virtually every industry as over a million businesses stand in its path, including major manufacturing hubs.
Ragasa’s Path through the South China Sea
As of Monday morning, Ragasa made landfall about 500 miles south of Taiwan on Panuitan Island, part of the remote Babuyan Islands of the northern Philippines. Ragasa is currently reeling across the South China Sea on its way towards Hong Kong and Macau before reaching mainland China. Ragasa has weakened slightly but still poses a threat to the Chinese coast as a category 4 typhoon. Given the storm’s size and intensity, regions that escape a direct landfall are still expected to endure sizeable effects from flooding rains, wind, and storm surge. Storm surge of 2 meters with isolated regions of 4 to 5 meters is expected across Hong Kong’s coast, while waves of 7 meters are possible off China’s Guangdong coastline.
Evacuations and closures are also ramping up in anticipation of further impacts from Ragasa. Tens of thousands have already been evacuated in the Philippines, and government work and classes were canceled on Monday in the capital of Manila and in most areas of the country. Despite the storm being several days away from reaching mainland China, Chinese authorities have relayed their plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands in the city of Shenzhen and are urging citizens to stockpile food and medical supplies for several days. Shenzhen’s airport will also be closed starting Tuesday evening. Guangdong province has raised its emergency response to Level II, the second-highest in China’s warning system, and officials have announced that high-speed and regular railways will be suspended Wednesday. All container terminals in South China have also issued typhoon prevention emergency plans and halted container pickup and delivery. Hong Kong, next in Ragasa’s path, has issued a No. 8 typhoon signal, the city’s third-highest alert already announced the suspension of classes and businesses. Hong Kong Airport is suspending all flights for 36 hours beginning Tuesday evening. Even prior to impact, supply chains are already directly affected by transportation and factory closures.
Supply Chains in the Path of Ragasa
As a global manufacturing hub, closures at factories, airports, and ports in East and Southeast Asia render supply chains vulnerable to disruption. interos.ai data identifies over 1.1 million businesses which may experience sustained wind speeds over 60 mph from Super Typhoon Ragasa in this region. Over 65 percent of the companies supplied by these businesses are located in the United States, India, China, Canada and Mexico.
Practically no industry will be left untouched as the over a million companies in the path of Ragasa represent over 82 unique industries, including Banking and Financial Services, Consumer Goods, and Computer Manufacturing and Sales.
Diving deeper to the product level, interos.ai data highlights over 450 product categories linked to businesses in the path of Super Typhoon Ragasa. The wide array of products underscores the significance of this region as a global manufacturing hub. Products at risk from Ragasa reflect well-known semiconductor, electrical, and apparel manufacturing that takes place in the area but also represent toys, fashion, automobile, and even weapons manufacturing.
Given the concentration risk of companies supplied by businesses in the path of the storm, as well as the wide array of industries and products with the potential to be impacted, supply chain disruptions are looming from Ragasa.
Supply Chain Resilience in The New Normal
Scientists warn that a warming world due to human-driven climate change will only fuel stronger storms such as Super Typhoon Ragasa. Embracing global, real-time hazard monitoring like interos.ai Catastrophic Risk score technology is essential to proactively deter and mitigate supply chain disruption.
Speak to a supply chain expert today to learn how interos.ai can help your supply chains weather environmental shocks.