Tropical Cyclone Noul: Hong Kong raises T1 signal ahead of stormy weekend

Skip to content Hong Kong is set for a stormy weekend with Tropical Cyclone Noul expected to make landfall between southern China’s Huizhou and Jieyang early on Sunday. Photo: HKO The Observatory raised the T1 standby signal at 8:40pm on Friday, with the cyclone moving west-northwest across the Luzon Strait. “Tropical Cyclone Noul will enter within 800 kilometres of Hong Kong around this evening… The weather will still be very hot over Hong Kong during the day tomorrow (25 July). However, there will be swells,” the Observatory said on Friday. The weather service said there were “still uncertainties [over] its distance from Hong Kong,” but it predicted heavy squally showers and thunderstorms on Sunday for the city. 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. Observatory signals currently in force 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. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Tom founded Hong Kong Free Press in 2015 as the city's first crowdfunded newspaper. He has a BA in Communications and New Media from Leeds University and an MA in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong. He previously founded an NGO advocating for domestic worker rights, and has contributed to the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Al-Jazeera and others. Tom leads HKFP – raising funds, managing the team and navigating risk – whilst regularly speaking on press freedom, ethics and media funding at industry events, schools and conferences around the world. More by Tom Grundy