This is the dramatic moment strong winds whipped through a street in Hong Kong during the onslaught of Typhoon Ragasa.

Footage captured by Alan Yang Holun shows gale-force winds and heavy rainfall lashing the Wong Chuk Hang district on September 23.

A tree can be seen swaying violently under the force of the storm, but it remained upright because of the supports fixed around its trunk.

The Hong Kong Observatory warned of 'phenomenal' ocean swells as storm surges were predicted to reach up to four metres (13 feet) in some areas.

Super Typhoon Ragasa, said to be the strongest storm of the year so far, is roaring towards Hong Kong after tearing through the northern tip of the Philippines, killing at least one and displacing thousands.

It made landfall in the country's remote and poverty-stricken Babuyan Islands at 3 pm local time on Monday. It arrived as the Philippines continues to grapple with weeks of severe flooding brought on by an unusually intense monsoon season.

Hong Kong authorities have grounded at least 700 flights from Tuesday evening as Ragasa barrels toward the Chinese coast. Panicked locals have also cleared grocery shelves as they prepared to hunker down in their homes.

China has ordered schools and businesses shut in at least 10 cities as citizens brace for Ragasa's landfall in the coastal province Guangdong.