Hong Kong closes schools and businesses as Typhoon Toraji triggers third-highest warning

Evening school classes were cancelled on Wednesday and city’s education bureau announced schools would stay closed on Thursday

Hong Kong shut down schools and some businesses after authorities raised the third-highest typhoon warning for Tropical Storm Toraji which passed about 150km south of the city.

Toraji is expected to weaken and move away on Thursday, with winds gradually moderating throughout the day, allowing the warning signal to be lowered to 3 by 10.20am local time.

This is the second time the Hong Kong Observatory issued a T8 alert this year, following Super Typhoon Yagi, which passed south of the city in September. Typhoon Signal 8 (T8) indicates that gale or storm-force winds are currently impacting or are expected to impact the city.

“In the past few hours, Tropical Storm Toraji adopted a more northerly track towards the coast of Guangdong,” the government forecaster said on Wednesday evening. “With Toraji edging closer to the Pearl River Estuary, local winds will strengthen further.”

“It is expected that Toraji will skirt within around 200km (125 miles) to the south of the territory [Thursday] morning,” the Hong Kong Observatory said in a statement.

Hongkongers with long or challenging commutes, as well as those residing on outlying islands, were advised to start heading home on Wednesday. Evening school classes were also cancelled on Wednesday, and the city’s education bureau announced that schools would stay closed on Thursday.

Public transport routes were also disrupted.

However, the education bureau said on Thursday morning that classes of afternoon primary and secondary schools will resume today.

People in Hong Kong were advised to avoid the shoreline and refrain from water sporting activities. Authorities have stepped up efforts this year to crack down on surfing during bad weather, with two people “found to have committed the acts of illegal surfing during hoisting of red flags” at Big Wave Bay Beach on 25 October this year.

Toraji was one of three storms in the region on Wednesday. Although Hong Kong’s typhoon season runs from May to November, the peak period is July to September.

Experts warn that climate change could lead to more frequent and severe typhoons. Due to the warming seas, these tropical cyclones are becoming more intense and destructive, experts note.

In November this year, four tropical cyclones simultaneously formed in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea – a phenomenon reportedly not seen since record-keeping began in 1961.

On Thursday morning, it was reported that Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing continued operating during the storm, marking the first time it stayed open under new rules that allow trading during typhoons and heavy rains since their introduction on 23 September.

Meanwhile, Chris Au Young from the Airport Authority, noted that airport operations should remain mostly unaffected throughout the day.

​​“According to the Civil Aviation Department’s assessment, runway operations today are expected to be normal,” he said.

However, he advised tourists to check with their airlines before going to the airport.