Shenzhen Meteorological Observatory upgraded the alert for Typhoon Saola, the ninth typhoon of the year, from orange to red, the most severe warning in China’s five-tier typhoon warning system, at 2 p.m. today.
This is the second time in five years for the city to issue a red alert for typhoon following Typoon Mangkhut in 2018. Saola might be the second typhoon that severely affects the city after Mangkhut.
Shenzhen will suspend business, market activities and work from 4 p.m. today and halt public transportation from 7 p.m. in response to Super Typhoon Saola.
The city will impose a traffic control at the entrances to expressways starting from 7 p.m. today, source from the city's transport bureau said. Vehicles, except those that are used for emergency rescue, are not allowed to enter until further notice.
Packed with speed at 58 meters per second, Super Typhoon Saola, about 192 kilometers southeast of Shenzhen at 12 p.m. today, was moving northwest at a speed of 10 to 15 kilometers per hour to approach the coast of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. It is expected to make landfall between Dapeng in Shenzhen and Hong Kong late tonight or early tomorrow morning, or in an area in a diameter of 80 kilometers south of Hong Kong, according to Shenzhen Meteorological Observatory.
It will bring heavy rain this afternoon and tomorrow with precipitation of 250 millimeters to 400 millimeters and the hour precipitation at 70-120 millimeters.