Low chance of typhoon signal No 3 despite Tropical Storm Bebinca’s erratic track, Hong Kong Observatory says
But squally showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue in the coming few days, weather agency says
The chance of typhoon signal No 1 being upgraded to signal No 3 on Monday night was not high, despite the erratic track of Tropical Storm Bebinca off the coast of Guangdong, the Hong Kong Observatory said on Monday.
The weather forecaster said the storm, named after a popular Macanese milk pudding, was about 210km southwest of Hong Kong at 7pm and was expected to move slowly, lingering around the seas off the coast of western Guangdong province.
The No 1 signal had on Monday evening been in force for over 90 hours, the longest run for the signal since November 2000, when a severe tropical storm – also called Bebinca – affected Hong Kong for 89 hours.
“In the past few hours, Bebinca edged slightly closer to the Pearl River Delta region. According to present forecast track, Bebinca is expected to be slow moving and erratic,” senior scientific officer Li Ping-wah said on Monday.
“Unless Bebinca intensifies significantly or adopts a more northeasterly track closer to the Pearl River Delta region, the chance of issuing the strong wind signal No 3 before midnight tonight is relatively low.”
The forecaster said Tuesday’s weather would remain mainly cloudy with occasional squally showers, a few thunderstorms and a maximum temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius. Better weather is expected for the weekend.
