HONG KONG • Hong Kong and Guangzhou are hunkering down as Typhoon Nida swirls towards the coast of southern China, with more than a hundred flights cancelled and offices and schools closed.

The Hong Kong Observatory raised a "T8" storm signal - the third-highest - yesterday evening as the storm edged closer to the city, packing winds of 120kmh.

The observatory said the centre of the storm, the first major storm of the season to hit Hong Kong, will come within 100km of the city this morning.

The neighbouring city of Guangzhou closed offices, factories and schools yesterday.

Level-one emergency response measures require the closures for the next 24 hours, the city government said in a statement, as the authorities anticipated "a serious impact" from the storm.

Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary Dragonair cancelled all of their flights in and out of the city from 10pm yesterday until 2pm today. That will include more than 100 flights, a Cathay Pacific spokesman said.

AirAsia also cancelled flights to Hong Kong, Guangzhou and five other cities in China yesterday and today due to Nida.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK