1-9-2023 (HONG KONG) China has issued its highest typhoon warning as Super Typhoon Saola moves closer to Hong Kong and the southern coast of mainland China. With wind speeds exceeding 200km/h by Thursday evening, Saola is approximately 370km southeast of Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. The observatory anticipates “heavy squally showers and violent winds” on Friday and expects to raise the threat level to “T8,” the city’s third-highest, early in the morning.
On the mainland, China has issued the most severe warning in its four-tiered system, with the National Meteorological Centre predicting the typhoon could make landfall somewhere between Huilai and Hong Kong by Friday afternoon at the earliest. However, there is a possibility that it could change course and pass through the waters of eastern Guangdong without making landfall.
In preparation for the typhoon, train services have been suspended across Guangdong, and several cities in the southern province, including Shantou, Shanwei, Jieyang, and Chaozhou, have delayed the start of the academic year until Monday.
Airlines are also taking precautions. Cathay Pacific has canceled all flights in and out of Hong Kong between 0600 GMT Friday and 0200 GMT Saturday. Its subsidiary, budget airline HK Express, has canceled 70 flights in and out of Hong Kong on Friday and Saturday. Hong Kong Airlines has canceled more than 30 flights, and start-up carrier Greater Bay Airlines has called off 12.
Hong Kong’s low-lying areas could experience “serious flooding,” warns the observatory, and there is a possibility of a storm surge similar to what was seen during the 2018 Super Typhoon Mangkhut if Saola skirts the southern part of the territory. Mangkhut, which triggered Hong Kong’s maximum “T10” typhoon alert, caused severe damage and injuries.
Although Saola displaced thousands as it passed the northern Philippines earlier this week, there have been no direct casualties reported so far. Authorities in Macau, Hong Kong’s neighboring casino hub, are also considering issuing a high typhoon warning on Saturday.
Southern China often faces typhoons during the summer and autumn months, originating in the warm oceans east of the Philippines and traveling west. While these storms can disrupt daily life in cities like Hong Kong and Macau, fatalities have become less common due to improved building codes and flood management systems.
