Thursday, November 14, 2024 Hong Kong is bracing for the impact of Tropical Storm Toraji, which has led to the issuance of the T8 typhoon warning signal—the highest recorded this late in November. The storm marks an unprecedented occurrence as one of four tropical systems emerging simultaneously in the western North Pacific and South China Sea in November, a first since record-keeping began. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the T8 warning at 11:10 PM on Wednesday, with the advisory expected to remain in place until at least 10:00 AM on Thursday morning.
The warning has already resulted in the suspension of all classes at morning and whole-day schools across the city, from kindergartens to secondary institutions, as the storm edges closer to the Pearl River Delta region. According to the Hong Kong Observatory’s database, this T8 signal is the latest ever recorded, surpassing the previous record set on November 9, 1972, when Typhoon Pamela struck the region. As of 11:00 PM Wednesday, Toraji was located approximately 170 kilometers south-southeast of Hong Kong and is expected to move slowly west or west-northwest, bringing it within 150 kilometers of the Pearl River Delta on Thursday morning.
With local winds strengthening and squally showers beginning to impact the area, the Observatory has emphasized the storm’s potential to disrupt local infrastructure and travel. While Toraji is forecast to weaken and move away from Hong Kong later on Thursday, local winds are not expe.
