Typhoon Signal No. 8 may be replaced by T3 tonight, according to the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG).
At 4 p.m. today, Typhoon Talim was located about 230 km southwest of Macau and moving toward the western coast of Guangdong.
“The weather will continue to be unstable, with occasional heavy showers, and the wind force will remain at level 8 with gusts. Therefore, the No. 8 typhoon signal will still be maintained for a period of time,” SMG stated.
“When Talim starts to move away after nightfall, depending on the actual wind conditions in Macao, the bureau will issue T3 [overnight],” it added.
As of 4:30 p.m., the Civil Protection Operations Centre has recorded a total of 20 incident reports in the city, including four cases of “buildings/lamp posts/trees that are on the verge of collapse/have collapsed” and 15 cases of “concrete, signboards, windows, canopies, or other objects fallen or swinging.”
Also, information from the Civil Aviation Authority shows that there are 84 flight cancellations, six delays and 37 reschedulings.
In Hong Kong, schools and the stock market were closed today as Typhoon Talim swept south of the city.
More than 100 people sought refuge at temporary shelters. Some government and ferry services were halted and various events were postponed. The city’s airport authority said 16 flights were canceled.
The Hong Kong Observatory raised a No. 8 typhoon signal, the third-highest warning under the city’s weather system, at 12:40am today.
It was the first signal of its kind hoisted this year.
China’s National Meteorological Center forecast the typhoon would make landfall in the coastal regions of neighboring Guangdong province and Hainan province tonight before entering the Gulf of Tonkin and making another landfall in the Guangxi region on Tuesday. Talim is expected to weaken on Wednesday in Vietnam, it added.
In Hong Kong, the government received 18 reports of fallen trees. Residents were urged to stay away from the shoreline and avoid water sports activities, the observatory said. MDT/AP
