Shenzhen was hit hard by Typhoon Vicente

The worst storm to hit the Delta, classified as a Hurricane No. 10 by the Hong Kong Observatory, made its way through the western fringes of Guangdong Province after making landfall in Taishan early on Tuesday morning.

Just before 1am the Hong Kong Observatory hoisted its highest warning, a No. 10 Hurricane signal, something not seen since 1999, making it one of the most powerful typhoons to slam into the region in over a decade.

Throughout the night and into the early hours of Tuesday, storm signals were increased as the threat of flooding and landslides threatened neigbourhoods and highways.

By 2:15am the Observatory recorded wind speeds of 180 kilometres per hour (112mph) at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island, equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane in the United States. However, wind speeds at the core of Vicente reached 225 kilometres per hour (140mph), a Category 4 hurricane storm.  (Hurricane Katrina, which resulted in hundreds of deaths in New Orleans in 2005, was a Category 5 hurricane).

By 7am, storm signals for Hong Kong and Macau were issued at No. 8 while red, orange and yellow warnings were in place on the mainland.

Since 1946, only 13 typhoons have reached a No. 10 signal, making Vicente, the third tropical cyclone of the 2012 season, the 14th.

Check out the latest Nanfang Studio album with photos of Vicente hitting Shenzhen.