The year’s first tropical cyclone signal no. 8 was issued by the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau at 5:30 this morning and is still in force, but is expected to be lowered to the no. 3 signal between 8 pm and 10 pm.
At 5 pm, severe tropical cyclone Talim was located 240 kilometres southwest of Macao and moving toward the western coast of Guangdong.
Winds with sustained speeds of up to 117 kilometres an hour are blowing and gusts may exceed 180 kilometres per hour.
A blue storm surge warning was in force but has now been cancelled. Earlier in the day, users of underground car parks concerned about potential flooding moved their vehicles to western car park of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, where free parking for light vehicles was made available.
[See more: Macao’s electricity network is being tested for its typhoon preparedness]
All schools are suspended. Government offices and banks will remain closed. Bridges are closed to traffic, and bus and LRT services have stopped.
Ferry operators TurboJet and Cotai Water Jet announced on their respective Facebook pages that services between the territory and Hong Kong have been cancelled until further notice.
Dozens of flights from Macao Airport were cancelled or rescheduled due to the severe weather.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was closed at 5:30 am, TDM reported, with the last bus departing half an hour earlier.
People are advised to stay indoors and keep away from exposed doors and windows, as well as pay attention to the latest cyclone and storm surge warnings at the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau’s website.
