Observatory issues T1 signal at 8.40pm

The Observatory has issued the Standby Signal No 1 at 8.40pm on Friday as tropical cyclone Noul approaches the SAR.

This means that the storm is now centred within about 800 kilometres of the city.

At 8pm, Noul was centred about 410 kilometres east-southeast of Dongsha.

It is forecast to move west-northwest at about 26 kilometres per hour across the northeastern part of the South China Sea.

The observatory said the weather will remain very hot during the day on Saturday, before local winds strengthen gradually with more squally showers as Noul intensifies and edges closer to the eastern Guangdong coast.

It will consider issuing higher warning signals in the afternoon depending on the weather.

“According to the present assessment, Noul has a higher chance to make landfall over the vicinity of Huizhou to Jieyang at first on Sunday, but there are still uncertainties in its distance from Hong Kong,” the forecaster added.

In a statement, SAR flag carrier Cathay Pacific said that “delays and cancellations are highly likely over the coming days once we have a clearer indication of the typhoon’s direction, timing and impact”.

The airline said it will waive rebooking, rerouting and refund charges for flights scheduled to and from the SAR on Sunday.

Edited by Aaron Tam ...