Typhoon “Wipha”, which threatened Macau over the weekend and triggered the hoisting of the special administrative region's highest Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal, No.10, between 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. today, has largely spared the city after all.
The local observatory replaced Signal No.8 with Signal No.3 at 10:30 p.m., pointing out in a statement that the severe tropical storm “continues to move westward and will gradually move away from Macau and weaken.”
However, the statement also warned that “under the influence of the outer rainbands of ‘Wipha’, there will still be strong winds, heavy showers and thunderstorms in Macau tonight and tomorrow.”
The Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) also said in the statement that “as the weather remains unstable, the public are advised to pay close attention to the latest weather information and adjust travel plans accordingly.
The Civil Protection Operations Centre (COPC) reported tonight that five people were injured in 164 incidents, such as the removal of objects at risk of falling and the securing of scaffolding. The injuries were caused by falling objects and trees, according to the Health Bureau (SSM). No major damage was reported by the authorities.
According to civil protection reports, 139 people took refuge in the government’s four emergency shelters during the storm.
The local weather station noted in a statement that "Wipha" almost hit Macau head-on. It became the fifth tropical cyclone in nine years since 2017 that triggered the hoisting of Signal No.10. It was also the earliest Signal No.10 issued by Macau's observatory since records began in 1968, according to the statement.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai supervised the civil protection measures tackling the typhoon threat and urged civil protection officials to protect people’s lives and property. Sam also declared a state of immediate prevention after Signal No.8 had been hoisted at 4 a.m. today. The declaration was withdrawn when Signal No.8 was replaced by Signal No.3 at 10:30 p.m.
According to the SMG website, Signal No.3 indicates that “under the influence of a tropical cyclone, winds with a sustained speed of 41 to 62 km/h are expected or blowing while gusts may exceed 110 km/h in Macau.”
Over 140 flights scheduled for today were cancelled, according to the local airport. Public transport such as ferries, buses and light-rail trains, the services of which were suspended while the No.8, No.9 and No.10 signals remained hoisted, were gradually returning to normal tonight.
The cross-delta Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) reopened to vehicular traffic tonight.
Casinos stayed open during the typhoon.
As of 11 p.m., Severe Tropical Storm “Wipha” was estimated to be about 210 km west-southwest of Macau, according to the observatory, which said that it was moving west at around 20km/h away from Macau and weakening.
“Wipha” (which means"lightning" in Thai), the potentially strongest tropical cyclone to threaten Macau so far this year, reportedly made landfall in Taishan City, Guangdong Province, in the evening.
