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Hong Kong weather
Hong KongHealth & Environment

Typhoon Saola: Hong Kong lashed by rain as storm edges closer with Observatory to consider issuing warning signal in next few days

  • Super typhoon centred about 410km south-southeast of Kaohsiung, Taiwan at 11pm
  • Saola predicted to move at around 12km/h across Luzon Strait and come within 800km of Hong Kong in next day or two

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Hong Kong has been lashed by heavy rain. The Observatory has said the movement of Saola remains unpredictable. Photo: Elson Li
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The Observatory predicts Super Typhoon Saola will be closest to Hong Kong on Saturday and has said it will issue a storm warning in the next couple of days.

Downpours lashed the city on Tuesday as Saola edged closer and the weather forecaster said it was centred about 410km (254 miles) south-southeast of Kaohsiung in Taiwan at 11pm.

It is predicted to move at around 12km/h (7.5mph) across the Luzon Strait and come within 800km of Hong Kong in the next one to two days.

Saola is shown moving north towards Taiwan on Tuesday. Photo: AP
Saola is shown moving north towards Taiwan on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Saola will be closest to Hong Kong on Saturday, according to the Observatory.

It is set to come within a distance of 100km from the city. It would be downgraded to a typhoon with a maximum sustained wind speed of 130km/h near its centre, the Observatory said.

The forecaster said Saola’s movements remained unpredictable as it might interact with Tropical Storm Haikui, centred about 1,140km southeast of Okinawa.

Haikui, the Chinese name for sea anemones, is expected to move west-northwest or northwest at about 18km/h towards the Ryukyu Islands.

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