Wipha is expected to enter within 800 km of HK around midnight

已複製連結

The Hong Kong Observatory said Tropical Storm Wipha is expected to enter within 800 kilometres of Hong Kong around midnight tonight.

The Standby Signal No. 1 will be issued at that time.

The weather forecaster said it will consider issuing the No. 3 Strong Wind Signal during the day tomorrow
as Wipha is anticipated to pass within about 50 kilometres of the city on Sunday.

Under the influence of Wipha's outer subsiding air, the city sweltered for another day, triggering heavy showers in the morning.

Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan being pummelled the hardest.

On Friday morning, as residents took shelter from the gusts and the downpour, the Observatory urged the public to stay alert as Wipha barrels closer.

CAROL: "I'm hoping it's not coming but if it's coming, we need to be prepared.So I need to take a lot of food today to be ready for the typhoon 8. And all the things on the balcony, we put it inside the house."

CHARLIE: "Today's so windy. And all my clothes are wet, you see."

MARTIN: "I was not expecting today was a rainy day. I thought it was a sunny day so I did not prepare for it."

CAROL: "Today we will go to a book exhibition so maybe we'll get home earlier because the typhoon is more serious than before."

Wipha was centred north-northeast of Manila and is expected to move northwest towards the Luzon Strait and gradually intensify. 

The weather forecaster said it will consider issuing the No. 3 Strong Wind Signal during the day on Saturday, while Wipha is anticipated to pass within about 50 kilometres of Hong Kong on Sunday.

The Observatory's scientific officer said Hong Kong is expecting adverse weather conditions on Sunday with squally showers and thunderstorms.

The Observatory said it will assess whether a higher tropical warning signal is necessary on Sunday depending on Wipha's proximity to the Pearl River Estuary, its intensity and the changes in local wind conditions.

The Observatory forecasts that offshore and highland areas in Hong Kong could experience gale-force winds reaching Force 10 on the Beaufort scale on Sunday with average speeds between 88 and 103 kilometres an hour.