Double typhoon still unconfirmed but squalls and thunderstorms to hit Hong Kong in coming days
Two storms expected to bring showers and cloudy conditions to region, with second one arriving later in the week
While authorities cannot confirm if two storms brewing in the region will become a “double typhoon”, Hong Kong weather officials expect unstable conditions with squally showers and thunderstorms over the city in the coming days.
As of noon on Sunday, a tropical depression over the southern part of the South China Sea was centred about 350km south-southwest of Xisha, or Paracel Islands. It was expected to come within 800km of Hong Kong at about noon on Monday.
The typhoon signal No 1 might be issued but Observatory senior scientific officer Cheng Yuen-chung said it was still too early to confirm.
Double typhoon may blow away Hong Kong’s heatwave as Observatory spots two areas of low pressure building in South China Sea
The southern China coastline is set to experience the brunt of the storm around the middle of the week.
With maximum sustained wind speeds of about 45km/h, the tropical depression is forecast to move north-northwest at about 12km/h towards the vicinity of Hainan Island over the next few days.
“But there are still uncertainties over [the storm’s] subsequent movement and intensity,” the Observatory said.
The weather on Monday is expected to be cloudy with showers and sunny intervals. The temperature will range between 27 and 31 degrees.
Meanwhile, a weaker area of low pressure to the east of the Philippines is developing gradually and may affect the region later in the week.
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Earlier this year, the Observatory predicted there would be five to eight tropical cyclones coming within 500km of Hong Kong for 2018. The number was said to be “normal to above normal”.
The weather is expected to improve from Saturday, with cloudy conditions and fewer showers.
Hong Kong sweated through last month, with the mercury hitting 35.4 degrees last Wednesday – the hottest day this year and the second-hottest on record for the month of May.
The Observatory only took down its “very hot weather” warning on Friday evening after 15 days in place.
