Macau's observatory has announced this afternoon that it will hoist Typhoon Signal No.8 at 10 p.m. today.
No.8 is Macau's third highest storm warning signal. It will replace Tropical Cyclone Signal No.3, which was hoisted by the Macau Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) at 5 a.m. today. Standby Signal No. 1 was issued at noon yesterday.
According to the SMG website, Signal No.8 warns the public that "winds with a sustained speed of 63 to 117 km/h are expected or blowing and gusts may exceed 180 km/h in Macau". Signal No.9 warns that a tropical cyclone "is further approaching", while Signal No.10 denotes that the centre of the tropical cyclone is expected "to strike at the immediate approaches of Macau."
The observatory also said this afternoon that Super Typhoon "Yagi" was located in the northern part of the South China Sea and expected to move west-northwestward, generally heading towards the area between the western coast of Guangdong Province and Hainan Province. It also said that flooding in Macau's low-lying areas was expected to reach 0.5 metre tomorrow.
According to the observatory, winds in Macau are expected to gradually strengthen during daytime, with thunderstorms becoming more frequent. It also said that in line with its latest forecast track, Yagi will pass by Macau at a distance of 300 km early tomorrow. The observatory forecast that winds in Macau will rapidly strengthen at that time, with frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms.
Customarily, public transport in Macau - aside from taxis - will be suspended during Signal No.8. The authorities have meanwhile announced that vehicular traffic across the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge will be suspended from 9 p.m. today. By government order, all schools will remain closed during Signal No.8, but Macau's 30 casinos may choose to stay open.
