BEIJING: Several cities in southern China raised their cyclone warning signals on Wednesday (Aug 24), bracing for Tropical Storm Ma-on, which is expected to make landfall along the coast of Guangdong province on Thursday.
At 12.40pm, the Hong Kong Observatory issued a strong wind advisory, with speeds up to 62kmh expected. The storm, about 440km southeast of Hong Kong, will lash the city with heavy rains later Wednesday and into Thursday morning.
The Maritime Bureau of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge issued a typhoon-level II emergency response, closing it to shipping.
The ninth cyclone of the season, Ma-on is expected to generate waves of 5m to 8m across the northern part of the South China Sea, according to local media. Storm surges are expected to affect several cities in Guangdong province, including Shenzhen, Chaozhou, Huizhou and Yangjiang.
The Shenzhen Meteorological Station upgraded the city’s blue typhoon warning signal to yellow, and Zhongshan issued a yellow signal, suspending schools and child care classes throughout the city.
Shenzhen airport said it will suspend operation from 3am to 2pm on Thursday, according to a statement from its official weibo account, and the city’s railway department suspended some train services between Wednesday to Friday, the local Southern Metropolis Daily reported.