Hongkongers are set to swelter under high temperatures expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday afternoon due to the influence of Severe Typhoon Gaemi, with authorities saying a No 1 warning signal may be issued later.
The Hong Kong Observatory predicted that Gaemi would move across the central and northern parts of Taiwan between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
“Our region is now affected by its subsiding air,” Yeung Kwok-chung, a senior scientific officer at the Observatory, told a radio programme.
“[The weather] will be extremely hot in the afternoon, with the maximum temperature reaching 35 degrees.”
Yeung said the hot weather would continue on Thursday under the influence of Gaemi, which means “ant” in Korean. Maximum temperatures would hover at about 34 degrees and could go even higher in the New Territories.
The Centre for Health Protection called on the public to drink plenty of water and wear loose and light-coloured clothing to prevent heatstroke.
Weather authorities forecast Gaemi will make landfall in Fujian on Thursday, with two routes expected.
Most computer forecasts and artificial intelligence weather models expect Gaemi to take a more northerly route and cross the eastern part of mainland China, and that it will maintain a certain distance from Hong Kong.
But some other computer models also predict the severe typhoon will move further westward before turning northbound, with circulation closer to the Pearl River Delta.
“If the second scenario happens and [the severe typhoon] comes closer to us, we will need to evaluate whether there is a need to issue a No 1 standby signal,” Yeung said.
Strong winds are expected to hit the city on Thursday and Friday, with showers and squally thunderstorms over the weekend.
Some flights have already been affected due to Gaemi.
Cathay Pacific Airways’ budget airline, HK Express, said Wednesday’s flights 820 and 821 between the city and Naha, Okinawa, would be delayed.
It also said five other pairs of flights between Hong Kong and Taipei or Kaohsiung – UO112, UO114, UO116, UO134 and UO110 and their return flights – on Thursday and Friday had already been cancelled.
Affected passengers can rebook their trips without extra charges or apply for a full refund for unused legs of their journeys.
Passengers of flights originally arriving to or departing from Taipei or Kaohsiung can redirect to other destinations in Taiwan without additional charges, subject to seat availability.
