Tropical Cyclone Signal No. 8, which was issued at 9 p.m. today, will remain hoisted at least until 10 a.m. tomorrow, the Macau Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) announced in a statement tonight.
Severe Tropical Storm “Tapah”, located in the northern part of the South China Sea, is expected to move in a north or north-westward direction and gradually strengthen, generally heading towards the western coast of Guangdong Province, the observatory said in the statement.
According to its forecast track as of 9 p.m., Tapah will pass within 150 km southwest of Macau tomorrow morning and further strengthen. As Tapah gradually approaches, winds in Macau will begin to strengthen, reaching Force 8 to 9 tomorrow between early morning and morning, accompanied by frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms, the bureau said.
Meanwhile, due to the combined effect of an astronomical tide and storm surge, flooding may occur in the Inner Harbour area of the Macau Peninsula during the daytime tomorrow, likely reaching between 0.5 and 1.0 metres. Due to Signal No. 8, public bus and ferry services have been suspended, while the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has been closed. Signal No. 8 is Macau’s third highest in its five-level storm-warning system (1, 3, 8, 9, 10).
Additionally, public broadcaster TDM reported tonight that Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai is overseeing the civil protection authorities’ storm-related prevention measures.
Meanwhile, the government announced tonight that all school classes will be suspended for the whole day tomorrow.
