Hong Kong to keep T1 until at least 6pm as Tropical Storm Maysak comes closer

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing.Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will keep the No 1 typhoon signal in force until at least Friday evening, after which it will assess whether to issue the No 3 warning depending on the tropical storm’s intensity.The Hong Kong Observatory said Tropical Storm Maysak was estimated to be about 670km (416 miles) southwest of Hong Kong and was forecast to move northwest at around 10km/h (6.2mph) towards Hainan Island.“In the past couple of hours, Maysak has adopted a northwesterly track, edging closer to Hainan Island while still maintaining some distance from Hong Kong. The No 1 signal will remain in force at least until 6pm on Friday,” it said.The Observatory added that it would later assess the need to issue the No 3 warning, taking into account changes in Maysak’s intensity, the proximity of its strong winds to the Pearl River Estuary and local wind conditions.It also said that winds were occasionally strong offshore and on high ground in the morning.“The outer rainband associated with Maysak is affecting the Guangdong coast. There will be squally showers and thunderstorms across the region, along with swells,” it said.The forecaster also issued a thunderstorm warning at 7.20am, with temperatures expected to range between 27 and 31 degrees Celsius. (80.6 and 87.8 Fahrenheit).Friday’s weather will be mainly cloudy with a few squally showers and thunderstorms, and sunny intervals in the morning.Showers are expected to increase gradually, becoming heavier in some areas later in the day.It will be windy on Saturday, with occasional heavy showers and squally thunderstorms. Unsettled weather is expected to persist over the following couple of days.Further Reading