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| Koinu is now bringing heavy rains to Taiwan, where it is forecast to make a landfall tomorrow |
Hong Kong is on standby for the
approach of yet another typhoon which earlier forecasts said could turn into a
super typhoon.
The Observatory said that
according to the present forecast, Tropical Cyclone Koinu will enter within 800
kilometers of Hong Kong between tonight and early tomorrow, which would prompt
the hoisting of Standby Signal No 1.
Koinu is reportedly pounding
Taiwan with heavy rain and winds throughout today, Wednesday, closing business and schools in the east and
triggering warnings in most parts of the iland – and it has not even made
landfall yet.
The tropical cyclone which formed
over the Pacific Ocean last weekend, is expected to make landfall on the island
tomorrow morning.
Earlier it bypassed the
Philippines, though it also brought severe thunderstorms and heavy rain in the north
of the country.
It is now about 167 kilometers
away eastern Taiwan. It is moving west at about 15 kilometers per hour,
carrying sustained winds of about 212 kilometers per hour, and even stronger
gusts, according to the New York Times, citing the Joint Typhoon Warning
Center, a meteorological sevice operated by the United States.
In Hong Kong, the approach of Koinu
brought the hottest October day on record, with the temperature rising to 34.6
degrees this afternoon.
A “very hot weather:” warning was
issued at about 7am and people were advised to avoid prolonged activities under
the sun.
The Observatory said Koinu is expected to move across the
southern part of Taiwan towards the coast of eastern Guandong, then westwards
toward the Pearl River Estuary.
Koinu is expected to weaken gradually under the
influence of the northeast monsoon, and its impact on Hong Kong will depend on
how fast it weakens before it comes to within 400 kilometers of the city.
The weather watch comes as some parts of Hong Kong,
particularly Shau Kei Wan and Shek O, are still recovering from the impact of
the record rainfall that inundated many parts of the city last September 7 and
8.
A press release issued by the Observatory today confirmed
the deaths of at least two people in the worst rainstorm to have hit the city
since record-taking began in 1882. Preliminary reports showed there were 75
reports of landslide and 60 reports of flooding.
The rains which were preceded by Tropical Cyclone
Haikui caused the issuance of the Black Rainstorm Warning for 16 hours and 35
minutes, the longest on record since the introduction of the rainstorm warning
system in 1992.
The Observatory also recorded an all-time high September
rainfall of 1,067.1 millimetres, more than three times the September normal of
321.4 millimetres and easily breaking the previous record of 844.2 millimetres
set way back in September 1952.
Another record for the longest consecutive very hot days for
September was also set last month. Overall, the month remained hotter than
usual with a mean temperature of 28.5 degrees, 0.6 degrees above the normal of
27.9 degrees.
Another extreme weather condition was set earlier in the
month, when Super Typhoon Saola swept across Hong Kong on September 1 and 2.
Hurricane Signal No 10 was issued during the passage of Saola, the first time
since Super Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong in September 2018.
With a
maximum sustained wind of 230 kilometres per hour near its centre,
Saola was the second most intense tropical cyclone to affect the South China
Sea since 1950.
Preliminary
reports showed more than 3,000 reports of fallen trees, 21 of flooding and two
of landslides were reported during Saola’s passage.
There
were also about 40 reports of damaged scaffolding, signboards and windows. The
power supply was temporarily interrupted in some places. At the Hong Kong
International Airport 460 flights were cancelled.
The storm
surge induced by Saola also resulted in flooding in some low-lying coastal
areas of Hong Kong, including Sha Tin, Tai Po, and Tai O.
While
more than 80 people were injured, no fatalities were reported.
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