East Asia Braces for Super Typhoon Usagi, Strongest Storm of the Year [VIDEO]

The most powerful storm of the year threatens a huge swath of coastal East Asia, bringing torrential rains and strong winds to Taiwan and the northern Philippines as Hong Kong braces itself for the so-called Super Typhoon Usagi, which is expected to threaten the region over the next 24 hours.

A "super typhoon" is a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour or greater, according to the Weather Channel, which added that Usagi has the strength of a Category 4 hurricane.

On Wednesday and Thursdays the storm geared up, intensifying from a 55-knot tropical storm to a 140-knot super typhoon in just 33 hours, though Friday the storm weakened slightly to slightly below true super typhoon status.

Despite the technical downgrade, the storm is still powerful and it is expected to continue on a west-northwest path through the weekend, the Weather Channel reported.

Taiwan is likely the most at risk; the center of the storm is likely to pass over the southern tip of the island, potentially bringing surge flooding, damaging winds and high waves, especially on the east coast.

Amid the fear of landslides, schools, hotels and resorts in mountainous areas of Taiwan were closed in regions expected to take the brunt of the storm, Al Jazeera reported.

The storm has caused trees to be uprooted and power outages in the northern Philippines, especially on the islands of Luzon, location of the capital Manila, and the Batanes islands, a small outcrop between Luzon and Taiwan.

"The winds are very strong. I cannot even go out now," Batanes governor Vicente Gato told DZBB radio in Manila. "Many trees have been uprooted and we have no electricity," he said.

Hong Kong is preparing for the arrival of Usagi. It's international flag carrier Cathay Pacific airlines said all of its operations in Hong Kong will come to a stop between Sunday evening and Monday. Another Hong Kong-based airline, Dragonair, made the same move, according to the South China Morning Post.

Hong Kong officials warned that the storm poses a "severe threat" to the city, which is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, with more than 7 million people.