The Macau Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau says that Typhoon Signal No.8 will remain hoisted at least this afternoon.
At 2 p.m., Typhoon "Chaba" was located about 260 km west-southwest of Macau, moving toward the western coast of Guangdong province.
Typhoon Signal No.8 means, according to the observatory, that a tropical cyclone continues to approach Macao. Winds with a sustained speed of 63 to 117 km/h are expected or blowing and gusts may exceed 180 km/h in Macau.
The weather station's Storm Surge warning was cancelled at 2 p.m., and as of 2 p.m. just five people had sought shelter in the city's four emergency centres, according to the Civil Protection Operations Centre, which also announced the gradual opening of nine underground public carparks after 2 p.m. The carparks were temporarily closed yesterday due to the risks of floods in low-lying areas.
Macau's low-lying areas such as in the Inner Harbour area and in Coloane Village were flooded this morning.
Meanwhile, the observatory said in a statement at 4 p.m. that Typhoon Signal No.8 "may be replaced by [Strong Storm] Signal No.3 according to the situation between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. today.
According to the statement, Typhoon "Chaba" made landfall in Maoming city in southwestern Guangdong province at 4 p.m. Maoming lies some 280 kilometres southwest of Macau.
