Standby Signal No 1 in the wind on Friday night

The observatory said it would consider issuing Standby Signal No 1 when tropical storm Noul comes within 800 kilometres of Hong Kong later on Friday.

The weather watchdog said the storm will be closest to Hong Kong on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, senior scientific officer Yeung Hon-yin said there is a higher chance of the storm making landfall between Huizhou and Shantou in Guangdong.

Its distance from Hong Kong, he said, remains uncertain, and higher signals are possible.

"Local winds will gradually strengthen, and there will be more squally showers," Yeung said.

"The observatory will assess, based on changes in the intensity of Noul, the distance between its gale-force wind zone and Hong Kong, as well as local wind conditions, whether a higher tropical cyclone warning signal needs to be issued later on Saturday."

As of 10am on Friday, the storm was centred about 500 kilometres north-northeast of Manila.

It's forecast to move west-northwest at about 26 kilometres per hour towards the vicinity of Luzon Strait and intensify gradually.

Yeung said it will be very hot at first on Saturday, with local winds strengthening gradually and more squally showers.

He advised the public to stay away from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports as there will be swells.

Heavy squally showers and thunderstorms are expected on Sunday.

Edited by Azam Khan ...