Tropical Cyclone Toraji: Hong Kong to raise T1 signal on Monday night
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong will raise its T1 storm signal between 8 pm and midnight on Monday night as Tropical Cyclone Toraji is expected to enter within 800 kilometres of the territory.
“Under the combined effect of Toraji and the northeast monsoon, winds over the region will gradually strengthen with squally showers,” the Observatory said on Monday, adding that it would consider issuing the T3 signal late on Tuesday or early on Wednesday.
“Toraji is expected to weaken when edging closer to the coastal areas, but the rate of weakening remains uncertain,” it added.
It is the second time the Observatory will have hoisted a storm signal within a week, with Tropical Cyclone Yinxing affecting the territory over the weekend. Yinxing has since moved towards the coast of central Vietnam.
Rain and wind were expected to continue into the weekend with a brief bright spell on Saturday before more rain next week, according to the Observatory’s forecast.
Typhoon Signal 1
The No.1 signal is the “Standby” signal. It is issued when a tropical cyclone is centred within about 800 kilometres of Hong Kong and may affect the territory.
- All schools and government services remain open.
- All public transport remains in service.
- The government advice is to take the tropical cyclone into account when planning activities and be wary of potential strong winds over offshore waters.
Climate crisis
Tropical cyclones – which get their energy from warm ocean water – are strengthening and become ever more destructive because of warming seas. Over 90 per cent of excess heat in the atmosphere is ending up in oceans, according to NASA, as rising greenhouse gases prevent it from escaping to space.
Days before world leaders and climate experts gathered in Azerbaijan for the COP29 conference on Monday, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said that 2024 was “virtually certain” to be the warmest year ever recorded.
“After 10 months of 2024 it is now virtually certain that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first year of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels,” said Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, according to Earth.org.
Toraji is the fourth typhoon to hit the Philippines in a month, closing down ports and forceing the evacuations of thousands of villages.
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