HONG KONG: Tropical cyclone Man-yi has been upgraded to a super typhoon, but it will weaken as it approaches Hong Kong on Monday. The observatory said on Saturday that the super typhoon was about 1,580 km (982 miles) southeast of Hong Kong and about 490 km east-southeast of Manila. “We expect Man-yi to enter within 800 km of Hong Kong from Sunday night to Monday morning,” scientific officer Lao Wing-kwan said.
“Under the combined effect of the northeast monsoon and Man-yi, winds in the area will gradually strengthen next Monday and Tuesday, the observatory will issue a tropical cyclone warning signal by then.” He said forecasters could not yet predict the level of the typhoon warning as it would depend on the storm’s path, intensity and distance from the Pearl River Delta. Lao said Man-yi, a name that refers to Hong Kong’s High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung, became a super typhoon at about 11pm on Friday. He said Man-yi was expected to pass through Luzon as a super typhoon on Sunday.
It will then weaken into a typhoon as it approaches Hong Kong on Monday and Tuesday. According to the observatory, a super typhoon is the most intense tropical cyclone with a maximum sustained wind speed of 185 km/h (115 mph) or more, while a typhoon is between 118 and 149 km/h. The forecaster had earlier said a strong northeast monsoon would hit the coast of southern China on Sunday, and it may consider issuing a strong monsoon signal depending on wind conditions. The signal is issued when winds associated with the summer or winter monsoon are expected to reach or exceed 40 km/h near sea level anywhere in the city.
The wind speed range is the same as a No. 3 typhoon warning, which is between 41 and 62 km/h. Tropical Depression Usagi, named after the Japanese word for the Lepus constellation, has weakened into a low pressure area near southern Taiwan. Earlier this week, four tropical cyclones – Toraji, Yinxing, Usagi and Man-yi – appeared at the same time in the northwestern Pacific and South China Sea in November, the first such occurrence since the observatory began keeping records in 1961. Toraji in Korean means beautiful flower that catches one’s attention The observatory issued the No. 8 typhoon signal on Wednesday as Toraji got closer to the city.
