Residents enjoy the waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui as Super Typhoon Saola edged closer to Hong Kong on Aug 30, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Observatory said it will raise the typhoon signal No. 1 on Wednesday night as Tropical Cyclone Koinu moved towards the direction of eastern Guangdong.

The HKO said in an advisory that it will raise the Standy Signal, No. 1 after Koinu comes within 800 kilometers of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Wednesday afternoon.

Koinu’s impact on the city will depend on how fast it weakens and its distance from the Pearl River Estuary, the HKO said

Koinu’s impact on the city will depend on how fast it weakens and its distance from the Pearl River Estuary, the Observatory said.

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“If Koinu weakens slowly and comes closer to the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary, it will be rather windy with squally showers over the region on Friday and over the weekend,” the HKO said, urging the public to take note of the latest weather bulletins.

As of 8 pm, Koinu was centered about 470 kilometers east-southeast of Gaoxiong. It was forecast to move northwest or west-northwest at about 12 kilometers per hour towards the vicinity of the southern part of Taiwan region and continue to intensify.

It may come closer to the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary but the northeast monsoon will also reach the southern coast of the Chinese mainland and Koinu will gradually weaken, according to the HKO.

This screenshot taken on Oct 3, 2023 from the official website of the Hong Kong Observatory shows a map from HKO and OpenStreetMap charting the potential track of Tropical Cyclone Koinu.

The last major typhoon to affect the city was Super Typhoon Saola in early September, leading the HKO to issue the Typhoon Signal No 10 for the first time in five years.