A man walking through the empty Exchange Square during Typhoon Saola in Central, Hong Kong, China, on Friday. Photo by Bertha Wang/EPA-EFE
September 1, 2023 (UPI) — Hong Kong’s schools and businesses have been forced to shut down on Friday due to the imminent threat of Typhoon Saola and its powerful winds.
Typhoon Saola was situated approximately 87 miles east, southeast of Hong Kong as of Friday afternoon local time and is predicted to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday.
With wind speeds reaching up to 140 mph, Typhoon Saola is considered one of the most formidable storms ever to hit the region, qualifying as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. There was even a point where wind speeds exceeded 150 mph, classifying it as a Category 5 storm.
The Hong Kong Observatory, responsible for monitoring weather conditions in the area, issued a rare No. 8 signal early Friday morning. This led to the cancellation of 366 flights at the local airport, with an additional 40 flights experiencing delays.
If the observatory were to issue a No. 10 warning, it would mark the first time since 2018 that such an extreme warning level has been reached.
As a result of the flight cancellations, passengers were left stranded at Hong Kong International Airport as the typhoon approached.
“We have to find our own accommodations,” said George Kiousis, a vacationer who had traveled from Greece to Hong Kong. “Most of the hotels in the area are fully booked.”
The observatory noted that Typhoon Saola possesses a distinct eyewall and a compact circulation.
“As Typhoon Saola continues to approach Hong Kong, weather conditions will deteriorate rapidly later today,” stated the observatory on Friday.
In mainland China, the city of Shenzhen, a technological hub bordering Hong Kong, suspended all classes, work, businesses, markets, and transportation on Friday. The international airport in the city was also closed by midday Friday.
Train services in Guangdong have been canceled, with nearly 4,000 train services affected, and these disruptions are expected to persist until Sunday.
