Hong Kong expected to issue No 1 typhoon warning signal on Tuesday ahead of arrival of Tropical Storm Ma-on
- Intensifying tropical storm will hit Hong Kong directly on Thursday, according to Observatory
- Signal would be city’s third typhoon warning in a month
Hong Kong is expected to issue the No 1 typhoon warning signal on Tuesday evening, ahead of an intensifying tropical storm which will hit the city directly on Thursday, according to the Observatory.
The storm, named Ma-on or saddle in Cantonese, strengthened on Monday from a tropical depression near Baguio in the Philippines. It is currently expected to move at about 10km/h northwest towards the Luzon Strait.
Ma-on is predicted to reach the city on Thursday morning, with a maximum wind speed of 105km/h, further intensifying into a severe tropical storm by then.
It would be the city’s third typhoon warning in a month.
“The weather will begin to deteriorate later on Wednesday with swells and storms. While we could expect strong winds by Wednesday evening, the wind will get even stronger on Thursday,” said Tong Yu-fai, a senior scientific officer at the Observatory.
Tong added that strong winds and storms could last until early Friday, but a more precise forecast could only be issued when Ma-on edged closer to the city.
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Meanwhile, the weather is expected to remain stable on Monday and Tuesday, with moderate west to southwesterly winds and isolated showers in the afternoons. The mercury will continue to rise to 34 degrees Celsius.
The Observatory raises the No 1 typhoon warning signal when a tropical cyclone is centred within 800km of Hong Kong and could potentially affect the city. Ma-on will enter this radius on Tuesday evening based on its estimated track.
