Severe Typhoon Koinu will pass over the southern tip of Taiwan in coming days before heading toward Hong Kong in a weakened state, according to regional observatories.
The storm will intensify into a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds near its center of 185 kph as it approaches Taiwan, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. The typhoon will then weaken into a severe tropical storm with winds of 90 kph as it nears Hong Kong, the observatory’s forecast shows. The city will raise its lowest storm signal on Wednesday evening, it said.
Last month, Hong Kong was battered by Super Typhoon Saola — the strongest storm to hit the city in five years — as well as record rainfall from the remnants of Typhoon Haikui. The last time the city raised its maximum hurricane warning twice in the same year was in 1964, when it was hit by typhoons Ruby and Dot.
The US Joint Typhoon Warning Center said models show a rapid weakening of the typhoon close to the southeast coast of China, with an increasing potential for a “slow, erratic track” and a sharp southwestward turn near Hong Kong. The center added there is “low confidence” in its forecast track due to the influence of gale force winds from the northeast on the weather system.
Taiwan issued a land and sea warning. The Philippine weather agency warned of potential floods and landslides caused by the typhoon, which was 350 kilometers east of the northern province of Batanes as of 5 am Tuesday.
--With assistance from Betty Hou and Felix Tam.
(Updates to add Hong Kong storm warning in second paragraph)
