Hong Kong to issue T1 Friday evening as Typhoon Noul nears

Forecaster says the No 1 warning signal to be issued at 8.40pm, adding winds and showers are set to strengthen the following day The city’s weather forecaster has said T1 will be issued at 8.40pm on Friday. Photo: Sam Tsang Typhoon Noul is expected to come closest to Hong Kong between Saturday night and Sunday morning, according to the city’s weather forecaster, which will issue the No 1 warning signal on Friday evening. The Hong Kong Observatory said that signal would be issued at 8.40pm. The tropical storm near the Philippines was officially named Typhoon Noul. The name, provided by North Korea, means “glowing crimson skies”. As of Friday morning, Noul was about 500km (310 miles) northeast of Manila and moving northwest at 26km/h (16mph), according to the latest track forecast. “[Noul] is expected to move across the Luzon Strait and enter within 800km of Hong Kong later on Friday,” said Yeung Hon-yin, a senior scientific officer at the Hong Kong Observatory. Yeung said the storm was forecast to reach the northeastern part of the South China Sea near the coast of eastern Guangdong over the weekend, when it would be closest to Hong Kong. He added that Noul could make landfall between Shantou and Huizhou, but its distance from Hong Kong remained uncertain. Friday will be mostly sunny and hot, with isolated showers. Temperatures are expected to reach 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 Fahrenheit), and may be higher in the New Territories. Hot conditions will persist on Saturday, but winds will gradually strengthen and squally showers will increase as the typhoon edges closer. The Observatory will assess whether higher warning signals are needed. Yeung warned of swells and urged the public to stay away from shorelines and suspend water activities. Unhandled type: inline-plus-widget {"type":"inline-plus-widget"}