A typhoon signal no. 1 is currently active in Macao due to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Podul and is expected to remain in place today.
According to the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials SMG), the likelihood of Podul being upgraded to a level 3 typhoon remains “low” as the storm “is further moving inland and gradually weakening.”
As of 11 am, Typhoon Podul was situated roughly 280 kilometres from Macao and was projected to be moving in a west-northwest direction at 28 kilometres per hour.
By this afternoon, Podul is projected to move away from Macao, although its impact will still be felt today and early tomorrow, with the SMG forecasting frequent heavy showers, thunderstorms, strong gusts and potential flooding in low-lying areas.
In response, the bureau issued a yellow rainstorm signal – an alert that means significant parts of the city are experiencing precipitation levels of more than 20 millimetres per hour.
A thunderstorm signal has also been hoisted.
Flights have also been impacted, with Macao’s airport announcing the cancellation of 16 flights between Macao, Taiwan and Fujian province yesterday. Affected carriers include Air Macau, Eva Airways, TigerAir Taiwan, Starlux Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.
[See more: The Ultimate Macao Typhoon Survival Guide]
The typhoon approached Southern Taiwan yesterday, resulting in the evacuation of 5,500 people and the grounding of 252 domestic flights and 155 international ones.
Neighbouring Hong Kong has similarly been affected, with the South China Morning Post reporting on Tuesday the cancellation or postponement of at least 15 Hong Kong-Taiwan flights.
The news outlet also reported that two HK Express flights headed for Taipei had to divert back to Hong Kong yesterday as a result of the poor weather conditions.
Tropical cyclones are common in Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan during the annual typhoon season, which typically runs between July and September. The SMG expects the Macao to be hit with 5 to 8 typhoons this year, a figure that it deems to be “normal to relatively high.”
Some of the typhoons that have hit Macao so far this year include Wutip, which reached signal 3 in June, and Wipha, which hit signal 10 in July, marking the earliest time in the year a signal of this type has been raised since the start of records in 1968.
