Standby Signal 1 Expected To Stay For Several Hours

The standby signal number 1 was issued at 4.15am on Tuesday, as two tropical cyclones came within 800km of Hong Kong.

It said the signal was expected to remain in force "before the evening" on Tuesday, but did not give any indication of what time it might be changed.

At 10am, the tropical depression near the Taiwan Strait was estimated to be about 610 kilometres east of Hong Kong, and was forecast to move north-northwest at about 18 kilometres per hour in the general direction of the coast of southeastern China.

Meanwhile, the tropical depression over the central part of the South China Sea was estimated to be about 760 kilometres south-southwest of Hong Kong and is forecast to move northwest at about 10 kilometres per hour towards Hainan Island.

The Observatory said that in the past few hours, the tropical depression over the Taiwan Strait had moved northwards steadily.

It said it was expected to weaken gradually and make landfall over the southeastern coast of China between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

The Observatory said the tropical depression's outer rainbands were affecting the eastern coast of Guangdong.

Meanwhile, the tropical depression over the central part of the South China Sea was expected to remain more than 500 kilometres from the SAR during the day.

According to the present forecast for the two tropical cyclones, the standby signal, no. 1 will remain in force for the next few hours.

The Observatory called on the public to consider the weather when planning activities, and advised against taking part in any water sports.

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