Hong Kong will issue the No 1 standby signal at 12.40pm on Friday, as approaching Severe Typhoon Yinxing may force the cancellation of an annual cross-harbour swimming race over the weekend.
The weather forecaster also recorded its lowest temperature yet this autumn, logging a minimum temperature of 20.9 degrees at its headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui and a couple of degrees lower in the New Territories.
The organiser of Hong Kong’s annual New World Harbour Race, which is set to take place on Sunday, urged participants to pay attention to weather updates.
It also said the event, which will see 4,000 swimmers crossing from Tsim Sha Tsui to Wan Chai, would be called off if the No 1 warning signal was still on at 6am on Sunday.
The Observatory noted the weather would be very dry during the day, with a maximum temperature of around 28 degrees.
Yinxing entered within 800km (498 miles) of Hong Kong in the early hours of Friday, with the forecaster saying it would issue the warning signal between noon and 3pm.
