South China Braces for Four Days of Heavy Rain
HK01 · 3 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A low-pressure area over the central South China Sea was upgraded by the National Meteorological Centre into a tropical depression on Saturday morning, while the Hong Kong Observatory said the system was developing into a tropical cyclone and would combine with the northeast monsoon to bring unsettled weather to the Guangdong coast. The system is not expected to pose a direct threat to Hong Kong, but offshore winds are forecast to reach force 6 at times and force 7 on high ground from later Saturday to early Sunday, with squally thunderstorms and swells affecting coastal waters.
Key Points
- The National Meteorological Centre said the tropical depression was about 320 to 330 kilometres south to east-southeast of Sanya on Saturday morning and was moving slowly northwest or north-northwest at 5 to 10 km/h.
- Forecast tracks cited by the central forecaster show the system crossing waters south of Hainan and heading broadly toward the Vietnam coast, with little chance of strengthening into a named typhoon.
- Heavy to torrential rain is forecast over the next three days for Hainan, coastal Guangdong and coastal Guangxi, while parts of coastal Guangdong and southern Guangxi may see persistent heavy rain through Tuesday
- Hainan is expected to be the rainfall core from Friday to Sunday, with Qionghai and nearby areas forecast to record 200 to 300 millimetres of accumulated rain, and locally more than 400 millimetres
- In Hong Kong, Saturday will turn wetter later with thunderstorms, a top temperature of about 32 degrees, and stronger east to northeasterly winds offshore and on high ground; Sunday may still bring heavier showers in some areas.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong residents travelling north or using ferries and coastal routes, the main near-term risk is not a direct storm strike but rougher seas, stronger winds and bursts of heavy rain along the wider South China coast. The Observatory expects conditions in Guangdong to improve gradually after the low-pressure system moves away, but the weekend period remains the most unsettled.