Guangdong evacuates 250,000
Hong Kong last night braced itself for its second shutdown in a month as Typhoon Nuri churned in on a path that indicated it could score a direct hit on the city this evening.
Guangdong authorities were also preparing for what mainland meteorologists described as the strongest typhoon to hit the province so far this year, evacuating almost 250,000 people from coastal areas.
Nuri, which left seven people dead in the northern Philippines, was at midnight 260km southeast of Hong Kong, moving west-northwest at 14km/h and packing winds of 120km/h at its centre.
Its forecast track indicated it would hit Hong Kong at about 8pm today - raising the possibility of a rare typhoon signal No 10.
Cautious meteorologists said, however, that the track could change and the storm bypass the city.