The Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) has announced that it will hoist the strong wind signal No 3 at 4 pm on Saturday, warning that there is a “medium” probability of hoisting tropical cyclone signal No 8 at night or early Sunday as tropical cyclone Matmo moves closer to Macao.

According to an SMG statement released on Saturday afternoon, Matmo was moving rapidly across the central and northern part of the South China Sea, heading towards the Chinese mainland’s Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan province while gradually intensifying. 

T3 indicates that, under the influence of a tropical cyclone, winds with a sustained speed of 41 to 62 km/h are expected or blowing, with gusts that may exceed 110 km/h in Macao. T8 indicates that winds with a sustained speed of 63 to 117 km/h are expected or blowing, with gusts that may exceed 180 km/h.

The standby signal No 1 (T1) remained hoisted for the time being, the bureau said. T1 indicates that a tropical cyclone is centered within 800 km of Macao and may affect the region. 

Macao has a five-level storm warning system: T1, T3, T8, T9, and T10.

ALSO READ: Macao lowers storm surge warning from red to blue as Ragasa moves away

The SMG statement cautioned that from Saturday afternoon, winds will significantly strengthen, accompanied by intermittent heavy showers. The observatory also said that as Matmo is expected to be closest to Macao early Sunday or Sunday morning, Macao will be on the periphery of its strongest wind zone (Force 8 or above). 

The bureau noted that as Matmo may grow into a super typhoon, it will consider issuing a higher tropical cyclone signal in the evening or early Sunday, depending on Matmo's path and changes in intensity.

Meanwhile, the statement added that with the astronomical spring tide, low-lying areas may experience flooding caused by storm surges. Therefore, the bureau issued the blue storm surge warning at noon. The warning is the lowest in Macao’s five-level storm surge warning system. The bureau forecasts flooding in low-lying areas between 5:00 am and 11:00 am on Sunday.

The observatory has also issued its yellow hot weather alert for Saturday, warning that temperatures are expected to rise to 33 degrees Celsius or above. “The public are advised to beware of heatstroke and drink water in a timely manner,” it said.

The alert is the lowest in the bureau's two-level hot weather alert system. While "yellow" warns of "very hot" weather, "orange" indicates "extremely hot" weather.