Typhoon Hato, a maximum category level 10 storm, made landfall in Hong Kong on Wednesday, flooding streets, uprooting trees, forcing businesses to shut down and suspending the stock market.

This is the first time in five years that a warning of this level has been issued in Hong Kong. The last such alert was sounded in 2012 during Typhoon Vicente.

Hong Kong is regularly affected by typhoons, but it is rarely directly hit. Its normally-packed streets were deserted on Wednesday, reported AFP. More than 400 flights have been cancelled, and public transport suspended. Educational institutes have also been shut down, reported Bloomberg.

Winds reached a speed of 223 kmph when Hato was at its strongest. The storm has lost intensity and may soon be downgraded to a level 8, South China Morning Post reported.