The Hong Kong Observatory said it will raise the Standby Signal, No 1 (T1) at 7:10 pm Thursday after a low-pressure area in the South China Sea intensified into a tropical depression and moved closer to the city.

In a weather advisory, the HKO said the tropical depression was forecast to enter within 800 kilometers of Hong Kong on Thursday evening as it moves towards the general direction of the seas south of Hainan Island.

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“According to the present forecast, the tropical depression will move towards the seas south of Hainan Island, and will be closest to Hong Kong around noon tomorrow, skirting around 600 kilometers or more from the territory,” the observatory said.

Local winds will be occasionally strong in some areas and there will be swells, it added.

As of 4 pm, the tropical depression over the central and northern parts of the South China Sea was centered about 410 kilometers east-southeast of Xisha and was forecast to move west-northwest at about 18 kilometers per hour towards the seas south of Hainan.

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But unless the tropical cyclone intensifies significantly or adopts a track closer to the coast of Guangdong, the observatory said the chance of persistent strong winds over the territory was expected to be relatively low.

It said members of the public should take note of the latest weather advisory, stay away from the shoreline, and avoid water sports.