A powerful cyclone threatened southern China late Wednesday (August 24th), prompting a storm warning in Hong Kong as Macau and other cities prepared to be hit, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.
Cyclone Ma-on (“saddle“), bearing the same name as a mountain in Hong Kong in the shape of a horse saddle, advancing on Wednesday evening at a speed of 110 km / h 300 km off the coast of southern China and could hit Thursday around 08:00 (00:00 GMT) some 160 km west of Macau, according to the same source.
Flood fears
“Ma-on is expected to approach Hong Kong in the morning (Thursday), possibly diverting its course 200 km southwest of the territory, posing a considerable threat“, argued the Hong Kong Observatory. “Storms and an astronomical high tide could result in low-lying areas flooding“warned the Observatory.
The storm warning advised people to return to their homes and resulted in the halt of classes and ferry transport, but the metro continued to operate in Hong Kong. The expected storm is expected to be similar to Super Cyclone Hato, which killed 10 people in Macau in 2017 and caused flooding in Hong Kong.
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But Ma-on should do less damage, meteorologist Leung Wing-mo told the HK01 news site. July was the hottest month on record in Hong Kong and August is expected to come close, according to the Observatory.
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