Hong Kong, other parts of south China grind to near standstill as Super Typhoon Saola edges closer
The Hindu
Most of Hong Kong and other parts of southern China ground to a near standstill on September 1 with classes and flights cancelled as Super Typhoon Saola edged closer.
Most of Hong Kong and other parts of southern China ground to a near standstill on September 1 with classes and flights cancelled as Super Typhoon Saola edged closer.
The typhoon could make a landfall in southern China and many workers stayed at home. Students in various cities saw the start of their school year postponed to next week. Hong Kong's stock market trading was suspended and more than 400 flights were cancelled or delayed in the key centre for regional business and travel.
Mainland Chinese rail authorities ordered all trains entering or leaving Guangdong province to be suspended from Friday night to early evening Saturday, state media CCTV reported.
The Hong Kong Observatory raised a No. 8 typhoon signal, the third-highest warning under the city’s weather system, early Friday. Its forecast said Saola — with maximum sustained winds of 210 km (130 miles) per hour — would be closest to the financial hub on Friday night and Saturday morning, skirting within about 50 km (30 miles) south of the city's shopping district Tsim Sha Tsui.
The observatory's director, Chan Pak-wai, said on Thursday the alert might be upgraded to a No. 10 signal if the strength of the winds reached hurricane levels. The No. 10 hurricane signal is the highest warning under its system and was last hoisted when Super Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong in 2018.
Chan expected the winds would gradually weaken on Saturday as the typhoon moves away from Hong Kong.
The observatory warned serious flooding might occur in low-lying coastal areas and that the maximum water level might be similar to that when Mangkhut felled trees and tore scaffolding off buildings under construction in the city.
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