Typhoon signals canceled, rain forecast to be heavy as Koinu moves away

Travelers wait at the departures hall at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.

Macau canceled all typhoon signals at 5 p.m. today, following over 17 hours of Typhoon Signal No. 8 being hoisted.

According to the local weather bureau, the rainbands related to Typhoon Koinu are currently widely affecting the Pearl River Estuary.

“The rains in Macau are forecast to be frequent and sometimes heavy today. Winds can sometimes reach strong wind levels, and with gusts,” the weather bureau stated.

In southern China, people have been moved to shelters and nearly 2,000 boats recalled to port as the remnants of Typhoon Koinu slammed into the region after leaving one dead and over 300 injured in Taiwan.

The storm bore down on the southern Chinese island province of Hainan today.

Also, the Hong Kong Observatory said on its website that Koinu was weakening from a typhoon into a tropical depression as it moved southwest along the coast of China’s Guangdong province.

Koinu arrived a month after southern China and Hong Kong were lashed by Typhoon Saola, which triggered Hong Kong’s highest storm signal on a scale of 11.

A week later, Guangdong province and Hong Kong were hit with the heaviest rains in almost 140 years. The storm also broke a wind speed record off Taiwan’s east coast, which faces the Pacific Ocean.

Ferry services connecting Hainan with mainland China, as well as ferry services between Hong Kong and Macau, were also suspended as Koinu moved across the island.