Typhoon Koinu, which lashed Taiwan with rain and wind last week, is set to hit Hong Kong. Alerts have been issued and schools have been ordered to stay closed.
The strong winds and rain as an effect of the typhoon has triggered No 8 storm warning. As a result, travel has been restricted and more than 200 flights were either cancelled or delayed.
Gale winds are already prevailing in many places in the southern part of Hong Kong and winds may strengthen further. If the hurricane winds of Koinu edge further closer to Hong Kong, higher tropical cyclone warning signals are swt to be issued.
On Sunday, October 8, Typhoon Koinu, turned south over the sea off the coast of China’s Guangdong province towards the resort island of Hainan, with its intensity nearly unchanged from a day earlier.
On Saturday, China had warned of big waves, heavy rain and strong wind as Typhoon Koinu approached the southern province of Guangdong and Hainan island.
Waves of up to nine metres were expected in the South China Sea under the impact of the storm on Saturday and Sunday, the State Oceanic Administration said as it issued an orange alert, the second highest in a four-coloured warning system.
Koinu, means “puppy” in Japanese. Last week, the typhoon killed one person and injured almost 400 people in Taiwan as it brushed past the south of the island.
(Input from Reuters)