Hong Kong- Hong Kong faced its second-highest storm warning as Typhoon Koinu skirted the city, causing disruptions in transportation and education sectors. This meteorological event follows closely after the recent Typhoon Saola, which prompted Hong Kong’s highest “T10” storm alert. A week later, the city grappled with the most substantial rainfall in nearly 140 years, resulting in flooding of subway stations, shopping complexes, and landslides.
Hong Kong’s meteorological authority issued caution on Sunday, highlighting the prospect of robust winds and intense rain bands as Typhoon Koinu advanced towards the Pearl River Estuary. Koinu was anticipated to pass within a mere 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of the city by midnight.
With Typhoon Koinu maintaining a maximum sustained wind speed of 145 kilometers per hour, it warranted a “T8” signal for most of Sunday, the second-highest level in Hong Kong’s storm warning system. This warning level activates when a storm reaches a maximum sustained wind speed of 117 kilometers per hour.
At 7 pm (1100 GMT), the observatory elevated the alert to “T9,” signifying a significant wind escalation. Citizens were urged to remain indoors, away from exposed openings, and to secure a safe shelter.
In response to the impending weather conditions, schools, daycare centers, cargo terminals, ferries, and bus services suspended operations for the day or the afternoon. Hong Kong’s Airport Authority reported approximately 90 flight cancellations and 130 delays during the day.
Sunday witnessed 11 reported cases of fallen trees and six individuals sustaining injuries during the typhoon’s passage.
The Hong Kong Observatory emphasized Koinu’s mature status, with its eyewall drawing nearer to the seas south of the territory. It cautioned residents to avoid low-lying areas in anticipation of a potential storm surge and stated that further storm warning signals might be issued based on wind speeds.
Prior to impacting Hong Kong, Typhoon Koinu had brushed past Taiwan, bringing torrential rain and record-breaking winds to Orchid Island, causing at least one fatality and extensive power outages in numerous households.
Southern China routinely confronts typhoons during the summer and autumn months, generated in the warm waters east of the Philippines and subsequently traveling westward. Climate change’s influence on tropical storms has heightened their unpredictability and intensity, manifesting as increased rainfall and more potent gusts, which contribute to flash floods and coastal damage, as noted by experts.