Hong Kong suspends flights and shuts schools as Typhoon Koinu approaches

More than 70 flights cancelled amid storm alert

Hong Kong issued its third-highest wind alert on Sunday as Typhoon Koinu brought gale-force winds to the territory, with heavy showers expected throughout Sunday and Monday.

The elevated alert, effectively shuts down the entire city, with limited subway train services. More than 70 flights were cancelled, transport services suspended and schools shuttered, with weather observatory advising locals to avoid low-lying areas.

“Koinu will be closest to Hong Kong tonight, skirting about 70 kilometres south,” the Hong Kong Observatory said, according to Channel News Asia, advising locals to avoid low-lying areas.

“If Koinu maintains its current intensity, its hurricane winds are expected to be rather close to the seas south of the territory tonight,” it said, reported South China Morning Post. “Depending on the variation of wind strength locally, the Observatory will assess the need for the issuance of higher tropical cyclone warning signals.”

Schools, daycare centres, cargo terminals, ferries and buses announced the suspension of services for the day, as the storm sustained a maximum speed of 145kmh.

Koinu, which lashed Taiwan with rain and wind last week, on Sunday turned south over the sea off the coast of China’s Guangdong province towards the resort island of Hainan, with its intensity nearly unchanged from a day earlier.

As of 10am, Koinu had yet to make landfall on the Chinese coast, maintaining its strength over water about 455 km northeast of the city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong, according to Chinese weather forecasters.

A woman and a child struggle with strong winds as Hong Kong hoisted typhoon signal no 8 around noon on 8 October (AFP via Getty Images)

It is expected to churn south along the coast of Guangdong, weakening gradually as it reaches Zhanjiang city and the southern island province of Hainan.

A man struggles with strong winds as Hong Kong hoisted typhoon signal no 8 (AFP via Getty Images)

Last week, Koinu, which means “puppy” in Japanese, killed one person and injured almost 400 people in Taiwan as it brushed past the south of the island.

Chinese authorities are on high alert even though Koinu looks unlikely to travel inland towards populous cities.

A sign shows the time of the last ferry to the outlying island of Cheung Chau as Hong Kong hoisted typhoon signal no 8 around noon on 8 October 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

The typhoon’s sluggish pace over the warm waters of southern China increases the likelihood of exceptionally heavy rainfall, as storm clouds persistently hover over the region for an extended period.

Additional reporting from the agencies