Typhoon Saola is making its way towards Hong Kong with winds of at least of 138 mph winds. Meteorologists warn that the storm surge alone could rival or exceed damage from a 2018 typhoon that JBA Risk Management called a 200-year flood.
“Right now it’s as strong as Idalia was at its peak but weaker than Franklin was at its strongest,” said the FOX Forecast Center. “It will be the worst storm to hit Hong Kong since Typhoon Hato in 2017 and likely one of the most impactful in the past 50 years there.”
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The Category 4-equivalent hurricane, only 170 miles east-southeast of Hong Kong is churning up 46-foot waves.
The current forecast track has Saola’s winds at 97 mph while it is only 60 miles off of Hong Kong. Models show Saola curving to the west while approaching China, giving Hong Kong a glancing blow.
“Regardless of a direct landfall or close call, this will still be one of the most intense storms to hit the region,” said the FOX Forecast Center.
More than a foot of rain along the coast is forecast. The slow moving storm will mean hours of punishing winds, heavy rain and impressive storm surge on Friday. The National Hurricane Center notes that a Category 2 storm, which Soala is forecast to be, can create 6 to 8 feet of storm surge.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued a Storm Signal 8 out of 10 for a warning. If the track changes, the agency said they may raise the threat level. The Chinese Meteorological Administration upgraded their emergency readiness to a level two for flooding, the second highest, and could go to one. The Typhoon Warning is red, the highest, according to Reuters.
Hong Kong grounded flights and temporarily closed the stock market. Provinces along the coast postponed the start of the new school semester, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Fishing boats were ordered back to port, ferry and rail services were canceled. All vulnerable groups in fishing farms across the provinces are under evacuation orders, according to state television.
Earlier in the week, rescue crews in nearby provinces waded through flood water to evacuate trapped residents by boat. July’s Typhoon Doksuri dropped record rainfall. That was followed by weeks of rains and flooding in an unusually wet summer, according to Reuters.