Strong winds from Tropical Storm Barijat hit Hong Kong but Observatory says unlikely to raise No 8 signal
No 3 signal will be up for a while but larger threat is from Super Typhoon Mangkhut, currently barrelling towards South China Sea and expected to hit city on Sunday
Strong winds blew over Hong Kong on Wednesday as Tropical Storm Barijat moved closer to the city but all attention was focused on a larger threat – Super Typhoon Mangkhut – barrelling towards the South China Sea.
On Wednesday afternoon, after typhoon signal No 3 for Barijat had been up for a few hours, the Hong Kong Observatory said the chance of upgrading it to a No 8 was not high.
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At 9pm, it said Barijat was about 180km (111 miles) to the south-southwest of Hong Kong and as strong winds were affecting the Pearl River Estuary, Signal 3 would be in effect for some time, but would weaken on Thursday.
The storm was forecast to move west, with wind speeds of 41km/h to 62km/h and gusts exceeding 110km/h (68mph).
Classes at kindergartens and schools for children with disabilities were suspended on Wednesday in anticipation of the strong wind warning, which was issued at 12.20pm.
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But apart from gloomy skies, there was no huge downpour with rain affecting only certain parts of the city. The situation was different on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, however, as torrential rain battered cities such as Shantou and Jieyang.
Barijat is expected to make landfall between Maoming in Guangdong and Wanning in Hainan on Thursday, bringing with it heavy rain.