HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Observatory downgraded the typhoon signal to T3 at 12:40 pm on Friday as Super Typhoon Yagi moved away from the city gradually.

Yagi has made landfall near Wenchang, Hainan Island, and will continue to move further away from Hong Kong, the forecaster said in a 4:45 pm weather bulletin.

At 5 pm, the typhoon was estimated to be about 440 kilometers southwest of Hong Kong and is forecast to move west-northwest at about 18 km per hour across Hainan Island and enter Beibu Wan afterward.

“When the threat posed by Yagi is further reduced, the observatory will issue the standby signal No. 1 or the strong monsoon signal,” said the observatory.

Local winds are weakening gradually, but there are still occasional gale winds on high ground, it said warning that seas will be rough with swells.

The observatory advised people to stay away from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports.

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Five people were injured as Yagi, described as an “extremely strong” typhoon, continued to lash Hong Kong on Friday morning with schools suspended, ferry terminals closed, traffic halted and stock trading canceled.

By 10 am Friday, Yagi had driven 269 people to the city's 30 temporary shelters set up across districts. Seventy-nine reports of fallen trees were logged as well as one report of flooding. Five people, including two men and three women, sought treatment at public hospitals.

Before noon, the maximum sustained wind speed recorded at Ngong Ping, Tap Mun and Cheung Chau Beach were 78, 66 and 59 km per hour with maximum gusts exceeding 101, 80 and 75 kilometres, per hour respectively.

Yagi continued to affect multiple areas in Macao, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan, bringing heavy rainfall. In Macao, strong winds persisted on Friday morning, accompanied by frequent heavy rain and thunderstorms. Macao will downgrade the weather to signal No. 3 at 2 pm on Friday. 

The city’s public transport system was adversely impacted in the morning. MTR announced a temporary suspension for its bus services, while the service of subway trains and light rail was limited. The services would be gradulally returned to normal after after the No. 3 signal is hoisted.

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Citybus Limited also announced that buses will gradually start plying from 12:40 pm while services along some routes suspended owing to bad road conditions.

In accordance with current rules of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, trading will remain suspended for the enire day. 

Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com