Hong Kong issues No 1 typhoon warning signal ahead of visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping
- The tropical depression will intensify on the day of the flag-raising ceremony on Friday, morphing into a tropical storm, according to Observatory
- Chinese President Xi Jinping set to arrive in Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon for a two-day trip to mark the 25th anniversary of city’s return to Chinese rule on July 1
The 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty could be a wet and windy affair as the Observatory issued the No 1 typhoon warning on Wednesday night.
The forecaster’s signal came on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit set to begin on Thursday for the 25th anniversary handover celebrations.
The Observatory issued the No 1 signal at 9.10pm on Wednesday, meaning that a tropical cyclone centred within about 800km of Hong Kong and might affect the city.
The tropical depression was estimated to be about 740km south-southeast of the city at 9pm and was expected to move north-northwest at about 10km an hour in the general direction of the coast of western Guangdong, it said.
According to the current forecast data, the storm system will remain at a distance of over 500 kilometres from Hong Kong on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Local winds are not expected to strengthen significantly.
The tropical depression has been forecast to intensify during the flag-raising ceremony on Friday, morphing into a tropical storm that could pass through the west of Hong Kong just 350km away, according to the Observatory.