Typhoon Koinu on track to hit Taiwan, approach Hong Kong
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Villagers collecting belongings following a storm surge brought by an approaching typhoon that destroyed their homes, at a coastal village in Manila, on Oct 2.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Follow topic:
TAIPEI – Severe Typhoon Koinu will pass over the southern tip of Taiwan in the coming days before heading toward Hong Kong in a weakened state, according to regional observatories.
The storm will intensify into a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds near its centre of 185 kph as it approaches Taiwan, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.
The typhoon will then weaken into a severe tropical storm with winds of 90 kph as it nears Hong Kong, the observatory’s forecast shows.
The city will raise its lowest storm signal on Wednesday evening, it said.
In September, Hong Kong was battered by Super Typhoon Saola
It also received record rainfall from the remnants of Typhoon Haikui.
The last time the city raised its maximum hurricane warning twice in the same year was in 1964, when it was hit by typhoons Ruby and Dot.
The US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre said models show a rapid weakening of the typhoon close to the south-east coast of China, with an increasing potential for a “slow, erratic track” and a sharp south-westward turn near Hong Kong.
The centre added there is “low confidence” in its forecast track due to the influence of gale force winds from the north-east on the weather system.
Taiwan issued a land and sea warning.
The Philippine weather agency warned of potential floods and landslides
